Best Kept Secrets
by jadedvixen
Summary: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother, Kurt Angle, can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble... Jeff-Lita including Kurt, Trish, Christian and more.
1. Suffering

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince   
McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
She pressed her lips together firmly, fighting the urge to cry out in pain. Tears sprang to her hazel eyes, as waves of pain coursed through her body. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck as he carried her quickly through the empty hallway. With every step he took, a jolt of pain was sent running through her back. She winced softly, forcing her eyes shut so that no tears would fall. She strengthened her grip on him, trying to find some relief of the agonizing pain in his arms.  
  
He looked down at the pretty redhead in his arms, still making his way to the locker room which he'd been placed in for the night. Her beautiful face was twisted with suffering, and through her tightly closed eyes, he could see the tears glistening underneath her eyelashes.  
  
"Lita honey, we're almost there." He breathed, the effort of carrying her in his arms and hurrying to the locker room exerting him. She tried to say something, but all that he heard was a sharp cry that escaped her lips.  
  
When he saw the door with his name on it, he almost cried with relief. He kicked the door open, and hurriedly placed her on the couch that was against the back wall. As her back touched the padding, her eyes flew open and she cried out. Panicked, he scooped her back up in his arms and sat down himself, cradling her in his arms.  
  
"Kurt, it hurts so much." She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. Her chest was rising and falling, taking in deep breaths. His heart felt like it was breaking in two as she sobbed in his arms, the pain overcoming her.  
  
"Li, I'm going to go get a medic. Just stay here --"  
  
Her eyes blazed. "No! I don't need a medic. It's just a little bruising. I'm fine." Lita clenched her fist as the aching in her back continued.   
  
A frown creased Kurt's face. "You sure as hell don't look fine to me!"  
  
Breathing heavily, Lita looked up at her elder brother's face. So full of concern, and worry. Damn it, she hated scaring him like this. Hated making him worry. She hated it when anyone was worried about her. She just hated putting other people through all that pain over her. God, she could only imagine how Matt and Jeff would be acting...  
  
"Where's Jeff and Matt? Are they okay?" Her eyes searched his bright blue ones, desperate for an answer.  
  
He let out a deep, throaty growl as he brushed her hair away from her face. "Don't you dare worry about them. After what happened in that ring.. they don't deserve your worry." His eyes flashed with fury as he spoke.  
  
"Kurt, they didn't--"  
  
"I don't want to hear it." He gently laid her down on the couch, only standing up when she knew she was more or less comfortable. "I'm going to get an ice pack. If you're too stubborn to let a doctor examine you, at least let me try and stop the swelling."  
  
She nodded slightly, allowing him to leave. He leant down, running his fingers through her dishevelled red hair. He kissed her forehead gently, and stood up. He took one last look at her before he left the room.  
  
As Lita lay on the couch, staring up at the bare ceiling, she knew her brother was angry. He always got angry when she got hurt, and tonight was no exception. She really wasn't hurt that bad... she arched her back away from the material, and hissed at the throbbing muscles. Maybe she was hurt that bad. Her thoughts wandered to Matt and Jeff. God, she hoped they were okay. The last thing she saw was Matt lying in the middle of the ring, motionless - and Brock Lesnar heaving Jeff up onto his shoulders, ready to deliver the devastating F-5.  
  
Brock Lesnar.  
  
He was the one who had hurt her back that night. He was the one who had pushed her from the top rope onto the cold, hard floor outside the ring, leaving her lying there in torment. He was the one who decimated Matt and Jeff in the ring for no damn reason.  
  
Tears pricked her eyes once more, and a scowl played on her face as she thought about The Next Big Thing. Yeah, right. He was a lying, cheating, immoral, uncaring, spoilt, selfish bastard. He got anything and everything he wanted, even if it meant destroying other people along the way.  
  
Tonight had been Jeff's match against Lesnar for the Undisputed Championship. Her and Matt had walked him out, not planning on interfering unless absolutely necessary. And it had been necessary when Matt jumped into the ring, slamming into Lesnar, and saving Jeff from one of his hellacious powerbombs. Unfortunately Matt had paid the price, being thrashed violently into the mat by the very move he had saved his brother from.  
  
Lita had climbed onto the turnbuckle, and gave the guns sign as she prepared to take Lesnar down in a hurricanrana. He was too quick for her though, shoving her off the top rope. She landed on the hard floor surrounding the ring, directly onto her back. The wind was knocked out of her, and she barely saw Brock Lesnar put poor Jeff through an extra punishing F-5. Lita was actually thankful that her vision wasn't clear, as she wasn't able to see Jeff being brutally slammed into the mat.. something that she never wanted to see.  
  
She remembered hearing the fans screaming as Kurt Angle rushed out from backstage. She was alert enough to recall him slipping into the ring, and knocking Brock out with a steel chair. Then he made his way to her, and picked her up in his arms, carrying her out the back. The last she saw of Matt and Jeff, they were both lying in the ring, referee's surrounding them.  
  
The locker room door opened slowly, and Kurt entered the room with an ice pack and towel in his hands. He approached her slowly, and knelt down beside the couch, his face level with hers.  
  
"Are you too sore to sit up?" His voice was quiet, and soothing. The voice of reason - their mother used to call him. He was the calculating, reasonable one, while she was the crazy, unpredictable one. When he was competing at the Olympics, representing America, she was off training as a professional wrestler in Mexico.   
  
"No, it's calmed down now. I can sit up." Lita lifted her back off from the material, and felt a abrupt pain shoot up and down her back.   
  
"Are you okay?" Panic rose in his voice, and his eyes frantically ran over her body, searching for a way to make her more comfortable.  
  
She breathed in slowly. "I'm fine. That ice pack sure would be nice right about now though." She smiled gently at him, her hair falling into her face as she leaned forward.  
  
Kurt sat down on the couch, facing Lita's back. He placed a hand gently on her back, rubbing through her shirt. "You're going to have to take that shirt off. I can't get to the bruising properly otherwise."  
  
Lita nodded, and grabbed the hem of her shirt. Slowly, she eased the material over her head, biting her lip at the aching that her movement caused. Once the shirt was completely off, she held it tight to the front of her chest.  
  
Kurt stared incredulously at his little sister's back. The flesh was red, swollen, and warm to touch. As he ran his fingers over the damaged skin, Lita let out a muffled groan. "I'm sorry." he said quietly, cursing himself for causing her more pain.  
  
"It's okay. It's just very sore."  
  
He reached for the ice pack that he had laid down on the floor, and pressed it softly to her aching flesh. He felt her take a sharp breath in, probably due to the cold. He then began to apply more pressure, trying to keep the bruising down. As he pressed the pack to her body, he shook his head as he realized how badly she had been hurt tonight.  
  
"They don't know how to protect you."  
  
Lita looked over her shoulder at her brother, frowning slightly. "Pardon?" She heard him clearly, and was pretty sure she knew what he was talking about, but she was giving him a chance to retract that statement - for his sake.  
  
"You heard me. They don't know how to protect you."  
  
Great. So he wanted a fight. Fine then, Lita rolled her eyes at him. A fight was what he was going to get.  
  
"Firstly Kurt, I don't need protecting." With that, he let out a snort. Lita chose to ignore him and continue. "Secondly, you know damn well that Matt and Jeff try their hardest to make sure I don't get hurt in the ring. It wasn't their fault that Brock pushed me off that turnbuckle."  
  
Still holding the ice pack to her skin, Kurt spoke in a gruff tone. "If you were out there with me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I know how to keep you safe." Before Lita had a chance to argue, Kurt continued. "Who was the one who knocked Brock down, and was able to get you out of there before anything else happened to you? Me. Honestly Li, you should quit putting yourself in danger with those Hardys." He pulled the ice pack away. "You can put your shirt back on now. I think I've calmed it down."  
  
Lita shifted the shirt back over her head, and pulled it down to cover herself. She turned to face Kurt, her eyes slightly red and puffy from the tears she had been crying moments earlier. Now, her eyes shone with resolution. "Kurt, what happened out there tonight was my fault. Not the Hardys. Jeff didn't even want me out there tonight, he tried to order me to stay out the back. But I wanted to go out there. Just like I wanted to get on that turnbuckle. I took the risk, I am responsible. No one else can be blamed but me." She stopped, and smiled slightly. "And maybe Brock can be blamed just a little."  
  
Kurt ignored his sister's humour. "All I'm saying is that you've been through a lot for those two. And regardless how much you believe in them, and trust them.. I don't. I don't like them Lita. I never have...  
  
".. and you never will. I know, Kurt. I've heard this lecture a million times over. You gave it to me when I first teamed up with them, and you've given it to me at least once every week since then! I know you don't like them, I know you don't trust them."  
  
A sneer appeared on the Olympic Gold Medalist's face as he thought about the two Hardy brothers. He hated the fact that his baby sister would rather team up with two jerks like them, and risk getting hurt every time she walked out with them - then be by his side, safe and successful. "You're damn right I don't trust them. Especially that freak, Jeff."  
  
Lita stepped closer to Kurt, and he could see the anger on her face. She narrowed her eyes, and glared at him. Her back was still hurting, but the anger she felt towards her brother at the moment overpowered even that pain.  
  
"That so called 'freak' is my best friend!" Her voice was shaking, thick with pain and emotion. "If you really cared about me, Kurt - you'd see that I'm happy with the Hardys. Can't you just let me do my thing, and learn to get on with them?" She looked at her brother steadily.  
  
He stood before her, arms crossed over his chest. He kept silent, and when he couldn't handle looking into her shining, hazel eyes any longer, he looked away. He clenched his teeth as he saw her head towards the door, out of the corner of his eye. He knew she would be mad at him - hell, she always was when he told her what he thought about the Hardys. But he wasn't going to back down. He hated those punk kids, ever since he debuted in the Federation. And in the last couple of years, they hadn't done anything to change his opinion.  
  
Lita walked towards the door slowly, her back throbbing but furious with her brother's attitude. She opened the door, and paused. She turned back around to Kurt, facing his back. "I love you Kurt. I really do. But Jeff and Matt are my two best friends in the entire world. And I will not leave them. Not even for you."  
  
Keeping his head up while she was still watching him, Kurt let out a string of curses as he heard Lita close the door behind her. Damn those Hardy boys to hell. Lita not only was getting hurt while she was around them, but now she was starting to resent him. All because of those damn Hardys.  
  
Kurt walked to the door, and stepped out into the hallway. Casually glancing down the hall, he focused his gaze on two figures, embracing each other. He smiled inside, watching as the young man and woman clung to each other tightly. He couldn't quite make it out over the distance, but he was pretty sure by the way the woman was shaking, that she was crying. They pulled away from their embrace, and Kurt was about to walk away when he realized who it had been hugging, frowning when his eyes settled on the fiery red hair tumbling onto the woman's back - and the smudged body paint covering the man's arm.  
  
Lita and Jeff Hardy.  
  
He watched them hold each other, and growled to himself as he saw Jeff run his hand through Lita's hair, and kiss her on the cheek. He couldn't exactly hear the whole conversation, but he managed to make out once sentance that Jeff said to his baby sister.  
  
"I'll look after you."  
  
He turned away angrily, and made his way down the other direction.  
  
Oh, how he hated that boy. 


	2. Manipulating

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince   
McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: As usual, would love it. Let me know specifically what you loved, or if applicable, what you didn't love. Just let me know people!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
He was insane.  
  
Trish stormed down the arena hallway, a heavy frown placed firmly on her features. Her brow creased, her lips pursed. She made her way towards the women's locker room, furious with Jeff Hardy.  
  
He was insane. There was no other explanation for it. He must've been insane, to say those things to her. No sane man would turn her down like that.  
  
The blonde vixen pushed the locker room door open forcefully, and sat on a free bench. She looked around the room. She was there by herself. Thank God. She just wasn't in the mood to play all nice with anyone at the moment, let alone half a dozen other divas who she couldn't stand as much as they couldn't stand her.  
  
As she pushed her golden hair behind her ears, Trish thought about what had happened just minutes earlier in the Hardy Boyz locker room.  
  
She had gone in there to see Jeff. That younger Hardy had something going - she wasn't quite sure what it was - but she knew that she wanted it. He was young, talented and gorgeous. Just what she needed. Unfortunately, he had been with Lita when Trish walked in. He was tending to her sore back, rubbing it down with some cream. He was so wrapped up in that, that he hardly noticed her walk into the room.  
  
That had been the first thing to piss Trish off. When she walked into a room, everyone turned to look at her. They stopped what they were doing, and looked at her. That's the way it is. Yet Jeff Hardy had the nerve to continue rubbing the redhead's back.. without even acknowledging Trish's entrance. She stood there, waiting for his attention. She never got it.  
  
"Is there something we can help you with, Trish?" Lita asked, giving the small blonde a sideways glance.  
  
Trish shrugged her shoulders. "YOU, Lita, can't help me with anything. But Jeff, sweetie, I'd really like it if we could go do some training together. You could show me some of your... moves." The words glided off her tongue smoothly. She knew how to entice a man; what to say, and how to say it.   
  
Jeff glanced up at her briefly, his blue and green hair falling into his face as he did so. "No thanks, Trish." He went back to working on Lita's back, rubbing it tenderly.  
  
Trish's eyes narrowed, glaring at the two friends. With a deep breath, she changed her expression, a pleading look appearing on her face. "Please Jeff?" She rested a hand on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb over his skin softly. "Pretty please?"  
  
Jeff stopped rubbing Lita's back, and paused. Trish smiled. She had gotten to him. As she felt him place his hand over hers, she knew she had Jeff Hardy right where she wanted him. That was until he picked her hand up in his, and took it off his shoulder. He looked back up at her. "Why don't you go ask someone else, Trish. I'm kind've busy right now." There was no malice or annoyance anywhere in his voice, yet Trish felt incredibly rejected.  
  
"Fine." She sneered. "Your loss."  
  
And now she was sitting, alone, in the diva's dressing room - thinking about Jeff Hardy. As far as she was concerned, he didn't deserve any more of her thoughts. But damn, if only she could get him on her side... she'd be unstoppable in the WWE. With Jeff by her side, she could wreak havoc. They'd split up Team Xtreme, take on the single's competition together - aiding each other when needed of course - and they would go on to become the best team in the history of the WWE.  
  
Trish's thoughts were interrupted as the door was pushed open, and Dawn Marie walked into the room. Trish sent a hard glare her way, before getting up from the bench she'd been sitting at and going over to where her bag was sitting on the floor. Trish opened up the bag, pulling out her brush and running it through her hair.  
  
Dawn Marie took in Trish's facial expression, and sank into the couch. "What are you plotting this time, Trish?"  
  
At the sound of the brunette's voice, Trish scowled. "Nothing." She continued to brush her hair, as Dawn Marie rolled her eyes at the blonde. Trish shrugged. "Well, nothing that concerns you, anyway."  
  
"Seeing as whatever twisted plan you're conjuring up probably involves one of my friends, it does concern me." Dawn Marie rested her chin in her hand, leaning on the arm of the couch. "So why don't you just tell me what it is now, and maybe I won't beat your ass down."  
  
Trish smirked, shaking her head at the other diva. "Why would I even think of telling you anything?" She placed her brush back into her bag, and stood in front of Dawn Marie, hand on hips.   
  
Dawn Marie jumped up, and lunged at Trish. She grabbed the blonde by her hair, pulling at it tightly. Trish screamed, face clenched in pain. Dawn smiled slightly. "Because I can hurt you Trish. And I will hurt you, if you hurt anyone that I care about. If you so much as threaten any of my friends.."  
  
Trish managed to struggle out of Dawn Marie's grip, clutching her hair as she glowered at the woman standing in front of her. "I was just thinking about Jeff."  
  
"Hardy?" Dawn Marie smiled widely, and soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Don't even waste your time, or seducting skills.. whatever. He's in love with Lita. He adores that woman. There's no way in the world you could cause him to think any different."  
  
Trish eye's widened. That's why he had been resisting her advances. He had a thing for the redhead. "Does Lita feel the same way?"  
  
Dawn Marie's features softened. Though she was talking to Trish Stratus, which was enough to keep the look of disgust on her face, she was talking about Lita and Jeff.. a topic which she held very close to her heart. "I'm sure she does. She just hasn't realized it yet. Hell, she hasn't even realized Jeff feels that way yet."  
  
Trish nodded. That certainly would explain a hell of a lot. Why Jeff was always around Lita, why he sent her those looks that Trish sometimes caught, why he was so damn protective of that woman, and most of all, why he had turned Trish down so many times.  
  
"So don't even think of trying to meddle with those two. You won't get anywhere. And if I find out that you've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong --"  
  
Trish glared at Dawn Marie. "Can it. I won't bother Jeff or Lita. Happy?"  
  
A smile played on the brunette's lips. "Yes, very." She folded her arms over her chest, and crossed her legs.  
  
For the second time that night, Trish rolled her eyes. "My match is almost up." She walked towards the door, already in her ring gear. As she stepped into the hallway, the things Dawn Marie had said filled her head. Jeff was in love with Lita, but she didn't know it yet? And Dawn Marie was pretty sure Lita felt the same way, but was yet to realize it? A smirk appeared once more on the blonde's face. Maybe she could find a way to work all of this to her advantage --  
  
Suddenly, Trish found herself sprawled on the floor, her backside hurting. "Ow." She groaned. She looked up at what - or who - she had bumped into, that had sent her flying to the floor. She was greeted with Kurt Angle offering her a helping hand up.  
  
"Sorry Trish. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?" He apologized, helping her back onto her feet.  
  
Trish sighed, ready to hurl abuse at the Olympic Gold Medalist, but couldn't find the strength. She waved her hand at him. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She gazed at Kurt, and acknowledged the look plastered on his face. "Something bothering you?"  
  
Kurt hesitated, not sure whether he should go into detail about what was troubling him or not. Trish Stratus wasn't exactly someone he was close to. He actually shared his younger sister's feelings towards the blonde - that she was a manipulative little bitch. Yet, he felt the need to talk to her. Hell, he wanted to talk to anyone. He was angry, and frustrated.  
  
He'd gone to see Lita before his match against Brock Lesnar, to see if she was okay or needed anything for her back. It was still hurting her from last week's attack from Lesnar. He found her in the Hardy's locker room, with Jeff. He was massaging her back, rubbing in cream. When Kurt had asked if she needed him to do anything, she said that Jeff was taking care of her.  
  
Jeff! Taking care of HIS baby sister? That was his job! That's what he was supposed to do! How dare he? The idiot little punk... Kurt sighed loudly.  
  
"Jeff Hardy."  
  
Trish grew alert at Angle's words. It seemed like the youngest Hardy brother was on a lot of people's minds. "What about him?"  
  
"He's just.. always around Li, you know?"  
  
With those words, Trish nodded her head enthusiastically. "I know. Trust me, I know."  
  
Kurt continued. "Well, she's my baby sister. It may sound stupid - but I can't help but feel like I'm the one who should always be around her. That should be looking out for her." He shrugged. "That and the fact that I can't stand either of those Hardy chumps."  
  
The blonde woman's face lit up. This was just what she needed. She could use this brilliantly. "No, you're right Kurt. She's your sister, not his. I don't think it sounds stupid at all. You're justified in feeling the way you do."  
  
A look of disbelief crossed Angle's face. "You really think so?"  
  
Trish placed a soothing hand on his arm. "Yes, I do. What right does he have, monopolising all her time like that?" She looked up into his blue eyes.  
  
He looked down at her, then towards the Hardys locker room. "You're right Trish." He gave the diva a soft, gentle gaze. "Thank you." He walked down the hall, towards the ring entrance.  
  
Trish smiled to herself as she watched Kurt Angle make his way down the hall. So Lita's big brother didn't particularly like Lita's best friends? My, with a bit of meddling, that situation sure could get ugly. She paused, as she thought back to what her and Dawn Marie had talked about earlier in the diva's locker room.  
  
It was a good thing she hadn't actually promised Dawn Marie anything. 


	3. Relaxing

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince   
McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Always nice to hear what ya'll think of my fics! Lemme know if you liked this chapter - and lemme know if you didn't! Just lemme know anything, kay?  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"Are you sore?"  
  
Sweat dripping down his face, Kurt Angle shook his head defiantly. "No, I'm fine. I beat his ass down, and I'm alive." He wiped away a bead of sweat that was dripping down his temple, then turned his gaze back to the redhead that was next to him."I'm fine."  
  
Lita walked down the arena hallway with her older brother, eyeing him worriedly. That limp in his left foot didn't look fine to her, and he was holding his ribs a little too tightly for him to be fine. She was sure that he was much more hurt than he was letting on. He always had been stubborn like that with her. He didn't like her knowing exactly how hurt he was, or anything like that. Lita remembered when his girlfriend broke up with him in highschool. He was devastated, she could tell in the way he walked, the way he acted, the look in his eyes. But he never actually said anything to her about the way he felt. He simply kept it all inside. So Lita knew that when he said he was fine - he more than likely wasn't fine at all. But he was right about one thing. He had demolished Brock Lesnar, in an amazing match up. And the redhead was extremely proud of her brother.  
  
She smiled at him softly as they approached his locker room, opening the door and entering. "You did good tonight Kurt." He looked down at her and smiled proudly as she continued. "You're right. You totally beat his ass down." She laughed warmly. "I don't think I'll ever forget that look on Lesnar's face when he realized you were going for that moonsault. That was a classic."  
  
Kurt laughed at his little sister, ignoring the pain that was settling in his ribs and shooting up his left foot. That moonsault had done a number on him... it had been a while since he'd pulled one off. And if he was feeling this bad, he couldn't imagine how Brock Lesnar was feeling at the moment. "Thanks Li."  
  
"No Kurt, thank you. I know that match was purely revenge on your part." She patted his arm lightly. "So, thanks. On my behalf, and both Matt and Jeff's --"  
  
Kurt's wide smile melted off his face as the Hardy brothers were mentioned. His brow furrowed as he looked down at Lita, and spoke. "Li, know this. I participated in that match for you. I wanted to hurt Brock for what he did to you last week. As for him hurting the Hardys.. well," he paused, looking directly into his sister's hazel eyes. "I personally wanted to congratulate him for that."  
  
Lita stood silent in the middle of the dressing room as Kurt broke his gaze, and gathered his street clothes from his bag. He then headed towards the shower. Had he actually said what she thought she heard? That he wanted to congratulate Lesnar for harming the Hardy brothers? Finally, she found the words that expressed what she felt in the pit of her stomach. "I can't believe you just said that."  
  
Before entering the shower, Kurt paused and looked at his baby sister. She was standing there, a look of shock and indignation etched on her face. He took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I hurt you Li --"  
  
Lita felt a wave of relief sweep over her. At last, her brother was actually apologising for insulting the Hardys. Finally, he realized just how much his words hurt her sometimes - and he was saying sorry for it.  
  
"-- but I'm just telling the truth."  
  
The redhead's eyes flashed with something sharp and dangerous. Kurt tensed up, seeing her reaction. He waited for her outburst, knowing he would receive yet another verbal lashing for his dislike of his sister's two best friends. Yet surprisingly, it didn't come. She just turned away, and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Lita made her way down the hallway, tears stinging her eyes. She knew Kurt didn't like Matt or Jeff, but for him to actually want to see them hurt? And like it when they are hurt? God, he couldn't possibly resent them that much! ... could he? Her brother was a good man. He was caring, compassionate, fiercely protective of her - but a good man. He was fair, level-headed... so why did he despise the two Hardy brothers so much?  
  
Suddenly, Lita felt a hand gripping her shoulder. She spun around quickly, readying her defences, only to find a smiling Jeff Hardy behind her. She relaxed as he spoke.  
  
"Hey! You look a little lost there, Miss Red."  
  
Lita returned his smile, which grew even wider when he threw his arm over her shoulder and walked with her. "Yeah, just thinking."  
  
Jeff looked at her mischievously. "Well, don't go doing too much of that. Don't want to hurt yourself or anything."  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny." Lita poked her tongue out playfully at the youngest Hardy, both still making their way down the hallway.  
  
"Speaking of hurting - How's your brother doing?" Jeff asked, concern replacing the smile that was previously on his face. "I watched the match back here. It looked pretty brutal. I'm seriously amazed that Kurt is still standing right now."  
  
"Yeah, well, he is. Only barely though. He won't tell me how much he's hurting.. but I know he's GOT to be sore. He did receive an F-5, after all. AND he managed to pull off a moonsault after that.. I don't know how he did it, honestly. No way can anyone get up from one of Lesnar's F-5's and not be aching in ten different places." Lita pushed her hair behind her ears.  
  
Jeff nodded. "I know - from experience."   
  
Lita rubbed his back soothingly. "On that topic.. how are you guys doing? Healing up well?"  
  
"I'm fine now. My neck's still a little sore, but other than that.. fine. Matt on the other hand, well, he's still pretty bruised up." Jeff's voice quietened at the memory of his brother being slammed into the mat, in front of his very eyes. "He was the one who was put through a powerbomb, AND an F-5." He turned to Lita. "And you. Your back's still recovering, right?" Lita nodded. "It just sucks that I'm the one who came out of that night the most unharmed.. when it was my match."  
  
Lita took in the sickly expression on Jeff's face, and shook her head. "I certainly hope you're not feeling guilty, Mr Hardy."  
  
When Jeff didn't reply, Lita sighed, and paused her walking. Jeff stopped as well, sliding his arm away from her shoulders, and standing in front of her. Lita raised her hands up to Jeff's face, cupping both cheeks in her hands. "Look at me Jeffrey. Do not, I repeat, do not blame yourself for what happened to Matt, or myself, last week. We both wanted to go out there with you and be by ringside. We took the risk."  
  
"I know, but--"  
  
"-- no buts! We took the risk. We got hurt." She shrugged. "It happens in this business." Lita linked her hand in Jeff's as they approached Team Extreme's locker room. "Now what's say we go back to the hotel, and just spend the night watching some movies or something equally as relaxing?"  
  
Jeff looked down at Lita's hand that was held in his own. Then he looked back up at her, and smiled. "That'd be nice." 


	4. Kissing

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous. I also don't claim to own or be involved with anything to do with the movies I mention: Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, When Harry Met Sally, and The Terminator. Please don't sue!  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: As usual, would love it. Let me know specifically what you loved, or if applicable, what you didn't love. Just let me know people!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita yawned as she pressed the eject button on the remote control. The credits that were scrolling down the television screen stopped, and the screen turned black. The hotel room darkened immediately. The only source of light in the room was spilling out from underneath closed bathroom door, where Matt was having a shower.  
  
"So, am I putting in the next video now? We still have three more left." Lita announced as she leant over the side of the bed, and picked up the three video cases that were lying on the floor. She looked at each one. "We've got 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Top Gun', and 'Terminator'. What do you reckon, Jeff?"  
  
At the sound of the silence that answered her, Lita turned her left to look at Jeff, and smiled at what she saw. The youngest Hardy brother had fallen asleep beside her. Lying on his back, with his arms placed peacefully on his chest. His mouth was open slightly, his blue and green hair spread out on the pillow beneath his head.  
  
Lita placed the three videos cases back on the bedroom floor, and turned on her side to watch Jeff. She propped her head up, leaning on her elbow. She listened to Matt, singing away in the shower. And then she strained her hearing slightly, and she could hear Jeff breathing. In.. and out, in.. and out. His breaths were slow, and relaxed. Being drawn in and out of his mouth lazily as he slept. Lita had to stifle a laugh as Jeff let out a small snort. Typical, she thought, that even Jeff's snores are adorable.  
  
The redheaded diva's thoughts were interrupted as Matt stepped out of the bathroom. He was towelling off his dark locks, dressed a stylish blue shirt, with black jeans. He rubbed his hair with the towel once more, and then threw it back over his head. Lita looked over at him, and placed a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. He raised an eyebrow at her curiously, and she tossed her head in Jeff's direction. Matt's gaze fell on his sleeping brother, and a half smile crept onto his face.  
  
The elder Hardy walked over to Lita's side of the bed, and leant down towards her. "Out cold, is he?"  
  
Lita nodded, smiling up at Matt. "Sure is. I think he fell asleep halfway through 'Jerry Maguire'."  
  
"What? He didn't even get to the 'Show me the money!' part?" Matt chuckled softly, his voice never straying above the level of a whisper.  
  
"Nope. He was dead to the world by then." Lita pulled the covers over her, and held them close to her chest. "You still going to go out with Edge and Christian? You can stay and watch the rest of the movies with me? I don't think Jeff is going to be waking up anytime soon."  
  
Matt sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at his brother. "Yeah, but he needs his rest. Poor guy. This whole Brock Lesnar thing has really bothered him, hasn't it?"  
  
Lita nodded, her smile slipping off her face. "He feels guilty."  
  
"He shouldn't."  
  
"We both know that. I've tried telling him that. But he can't help but feel slightly responsible for what Brock did to us." Lita sighed, looking over at Jeff. He was still fast asleep, breathing as deeply as before.  
  
Matt frowned. "You don't feel he's to blame, do you?"  
  
"Of course not!" Lita said firmly, trying to keep her voice down. "No, I knew the risk I took going out there. If I didn't want to risk getting hurt, I would've stayed out the back. But I wanted to be out there with him, Matt. Who knows what Lesnar would've done to him if we weren't there."  
  
Matt nodded slightly, understanding how Lita felt. He knew his little brother felt like he was to blame for their injuries, but they both understood the danger when they went out to ringside. They both knew Brock Lesnar was dangerous and power crazy.. and that he'd do anything, to anyone.  
  
The dark haired Hardy glanced as the clock sitting on the bedside table. "Well, I've got to get going. I'm supposed to meet Edge and Christian downstairs in five minutes." He stood up from the bed, and made his way to the door. Before turning the handle, he turned back to Lita. "Do you want to come with us?"  
  
Lita shook her head. "No, thanks. I really just feel like staying in and watching some movies. Besides, I'm all ready for bed." She smiled at him. "Thanks anyway. You guys go out, and enjoy yourselves."  
  
Matt smiled back at her, and turned back towards the door.  
  
"And Matt?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Behave, okay?"  
  
Matt looked over his shoulder, and winked at the redhead. "We always do."  
  
Lita laughed quietly as Matt closed the door behind him, leaving Lita alone with Jeff still sleeping soundly beside her. She stretched her arms above her head, yawning slightly as she did so. She wasn't quite tired yet, so she thought she'd stick another video in the VCR. Hopefully by the time she got through a couple of movies, she'd be ready for a good night's sleep.  
  
Lita carefully pulled the covers down, pulling her legs out from underneath. Still laying on the bed, she turned her attention to Jeff once more. His snoring had ceased, for now. A smile formed on her lips once more, as she brushed a strand of green hair off his face. As if mesmerised by the softness of his skin, Lita rested her fingers on his temple. Slowly, gently, she trailed them down his cheek, running them down his jaw line. God, he was beautiful when he was asleep. Well, Lita thought he was gorgeous any time, but when he was sleeping... there was just something magical about him.  
  
"Are you planning on just watching me sleep all night?"  
  
Lita jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, thick with sleep. His eyes were still closed, and as Lita waited for him to say something more, she found herself wondering if she'd just imagined him speaking. He was lying still, breathing deeply as he was before. Did she just hear him speak?  
  
Slowly, one eyelid fluttered opened, his green eye watching Lita idly. "So?"  
  
Lita smirked. "So, what?"  
  
"So were you planning on watching me sleep all night?"  
  
She laughed quietly, bringing her hand up to his face again to tuck the loose strands of hair behind his ear. "Not all night, maybe just for a few hours." She grinned at him as he opened the other eye to look at her. "And then I was planning on shaving all your hair off. Or drawing a moustache on your with permanent marker. I hadn't decided yet."  
  
Jeff smiled at her softly, his features still full of sleep. "Where's Matt?"  
  
"Out with Edge and Christian. He was going to ask if you wanted to go, but he didn't want to wake you."  
  
"Good. Don't really feel like doing anything tonight anyway." Jeff mumbled, his face being smothered by the pillow as his eyes slowly fell shut again.  
  
"Oh, you're not going to sleep on me again, are you? We still have three other movies to watch." Lita whinged playfully, pulling the covers over her again.  
  
Jeff looked up at her, his green eyes shining.   
  
"No, don't give me those puppy dog eyes, Mister. They don't work on me."   
  
Jeff merely continued to stare up at the redhead, even managing to get his lower lip trembling ever so slightly.  
  
"No!" Lita said firmly, smiling at the youngest Hardy. "Jeff, don't! It won't work.. I am immune to your charms and wiles. You should know that by now."  
  
More staring.  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
Silence and even more stares.  
  
"Jeffrey!"  
  
A small, dog-like whimper escaped from Jeff's mouth, and Lita groaned. "Fine! You win. No more movies. Are you happy now?" She stared up at the ceiling, her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"Yes. Extremely." Jeff stated. Lita wasn't even looking at him, her gaze still focused on the hotel ceiling, but she could tell by the tone in his voice that he was smiling brightly. She turned her head to the left to look at him, and realised she was correct. A massive grin was sitting on his face while he looked at her.  
  
"You goof." Lita giggled, swatting him gently on the side of his arm. They laid there, looking at each other, smiling. Neither said a word as they looked into each other's eyes, their faces merely centimetres away from each other.  
  
Lita felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter, as she stared into Jeff's eyes. What? Why was that happening? She'd looked at Jeff a million times before, and she'd never felt anything like this before. Those damn butterflies of hers must've really taken a liking to Jeff recently though. For the past few weeks, every time she'd look at Jeff, or she'd catch him looking at her, her butterflies would take off inside her stomach. It was the weirdest thing... and now, now as they lay side by side, looking into each other's eyes, Lita felt her heart quicken.  
  
Still no words were spoken. The silence in the room was deafening. Something electric was in the air, Lita could just feel it. Finally, she broke their gaze, looking down at the covers on her body for a quick second, simply needing to break the intensity that was obvious between the two friends. When she returned her gaze back to Jeff, he quickly leant forward and pressed his lips to hers.  
  
She was caught off guard, but not shocked. Lita wasn't quite sure how to react at first, and waited for Jeff to pull away. But then, when she realised he had no intention of pulling away, she realised herself how much she wanted to kiss him back. She closed her eyes, and trailed her hand behind Jeff's neck, running her fingers through his hair as the kiss deepened. Lita let out an involuntary moan as she felt Jeff's hand on her bare stomach, twirling his fingers over her skin.  
  
They pulled apart, and Lita licked her lips as she looked at Jeff, wide eyed. Jeff stared at her, mirroring her reaction. "Li.. we just.."  
  
Lita nodded, and smiled at him softly. She took his hand in her own, and linked her fingers through his. Jeff looked down at both their hands, then back up at her. "Does this mean.. that you feel the same way for me, that I feel for you?"  
  
She laughed slightly, and kissed him gently. She pulled back. "Answer your question?"  
  
Jeff looked at her steadily, a small amount of confusion and uncertainty still playing on his features.  
  
"You are a goof, Jeff." 


	5. Realising

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Loving it! The more, the better! Thanks for all your lovely reviews so far.. keep 'em coming!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
She woke up in his arms.  
  
It was the most amazing feeling, waking up in his arms. She had to force herself to believe that this was reality, and not just another dream. And she'd been dreaming about waking up in his arms for so long now...  
  
The young woman smiled gently as she looked up at the man she held in her arms, who was sleeping deeply. His mouth was parted slightly, soft little snores escaping his lips. She pressed herself closer to him, revelling in the sensation of his bare chest pressed against hers, their legs tangled together, and their fingers intertwined. She could feel the warm sun beating down on them both through the open hotel window, the rays warming her naked skin. Only the thin hotel sheet covered their bodies as they laid on the bed. She took in a breath, breathing in his scent, and she closed her eyes, smiling happily.  
  
"Well, this certainly is an interesting development."  
  
Lita jumped slightly, and opened her eyes quickly, focusing on the voice that came from across the room. "Matt." She sat up, holding the sheet close to her chest. "How long have you been standing there?"  
  
Matt walked away from the door, towards the vanity desk that stood on the far wall of the hotel room. He smiled widely at the redhead, looking at her through the mirror as he untied his long, black hair and grabbed a brush from the drawer. "Long enough to see that something very interesting happened last night between you and my little brother."   
  
Lita felt herself blush. She pushed her hair behind her ears, still pressing the sheet against her chest with one arm. "Matt, I can explain --"  
  
He shook his head, brushing his hair. "No need to explain anything, Li." He turned to face her, and gave a soft smile. "Can I just ask one thing?"  
  
She nodded, biting her lip. "Go ahead." Lita felt her heart quicken, unsure of what the elder Hardy would ask her.  
  
"How do you feel about Jeff?"  
  
Lita paused, and looked around the room. She turned back to the elder Hardy. "Isn't that obvious, Matt?"   
  
He took in a deep breath, and sat on an armchair that sat next to the desk. "Lita, I know you're not really the type of girl to go around sleeping with guys when you don't have any feelings for them but... well, I need to hear you say how you feel about Jeff. I, I need to know what you think happened last night. I need to know that you're not going to end up hurting him."  
  
Lita wasn't sure how to respond. At first she was insulted by Matt's questioning. How could he possibly think that she'd hurt Jeff? She would never, ever purposely do anything that would cause the youngest Hardy brother pain. But then she was touched by Matt's obvious concern for his little brother. "I'm - well, I'm not too sure about how I feel about Jeff."  
  
Matt sighed. "You're not sure?"  
  
A loud snore escaped from Jeff's lips, causing both Matt and Lita to pause and turn their attention to Jeff as he stirred in his sleep, rolling over to his right, and muttering slightly. Then their gazes were turned back to each other.  
  
"Matt, I feel very strongly for Jeff. I'm not sure exactly what that feeling is yet... but I know it's strong. And I know I want to be with him. I know that I'm happy when I'm with him. I know --"  
  
"Do you know that he's in love with you?"  
  
Lita stared at Matt, her mouth open in shock. She was unable to find her tongue. She wanted to speak, only she just couldn't find the words.  
  
"He is so damn in love with you, Lita. I need to know how you feel about him. How you feel about what happened between the two of you last night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's been in love with you for so long..." Matt shook his head, looking at Jeff. "He's confided in me about the way he feels since day one, Li. I've heard how much he wants you, how much he cares about you. How much you mean to him. That's why I want to know. If this is all a joke to you, a one time thing..."  
  
"No, Matt. It's not like that." Lita shook her head fiercely, her red hair tumbling around her face. "It's not like that at all."  
  
The elder Hardy ran a hand through his charcoal hair. "Good. Good, Li. Because I don't want to see him get hurt here."  
  
She tore her gaze away from Matt, and looked down at the snoring Jeff. The corners of her mouth twitched, and a smile fell onto her lips. She looked back up at Matt. "I swear Matt, I won't hurt him."  
  
A soft smile found it's way onto Matt's face, and he stood up from his seat on the chair. He nodded his head, and Lita knew that she had his acceptance. "I'm gonna go take a shower."  
  
It was then that something clicked in Lita's head, and she raised her brows at Matt curiously. "Did you just get back then?"  
  
Matt's smile widened, and he chuckled slightly. "Uh, yeah."  
  
She looked at him in shock, an unbelieving tone in her voice. "What did you guys get up to last night? Please tell me you didn't get into any trouble."  
  
"Us? Trouble? Never." Matt laughed. "No, seriously. We went to some night club that Christian recommended, and stayed there until about 2 a.m. Then we went back to their hotel room, and crashed. I came back here as soon as I woke up."  
  
A smile tugged at the corner of Lita's lips. "Hmm. Somehow that all sounds a little too innocent to me. But.. call me crazy, I believe you. I may just have to interrogate Edge and Christian later though, to make sure all your stories match."  
  
Matt let out a laugh as he made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.  
  
Lita sank back down into the bed, wrapping her arms around Jeff. Brushing his hair away from the back of his neck, she leant down and planted a light, feathery kiss on his skin. What Matt had said to her really hit hard. Jeff was in love with her.. and had been for a long time. He had told her last night that he felt for her, that he cared about her very much.. but he hadn't used the word 'love'. Having Matt say that, well, obviously Jeff had talked to his brother about the way he felt. It made her feel.. special.  
  
She kissed his neck again, this time with slightly more pressure. Her arms wrapped around his chest, her fingers swirling over his warm skin. She heard him inhale deeply - felt his chest rise, and then fall as the breath was expelled out. Then she heard the soft, gentle moan that escaped his lips.  
  
"Jeff?" She whispered. "Jeff, sweetie, are you awake?"  
  
He didn't reply. She assumed he was still asleep, only dreaming, until she felt his hands grasp her own.  
  
"I'm awake."  
  
She smiled at the sound of his voice. "How you feeling?"  
  
He groaned wearily, sleep still lining his voice. "Tired." He shifted slowly, turning to that he was now facing the redhead in his arms. Upon seeing her face, he grinned lazily. "But happy."  
  
She kissed the tip of his nose. "Me too."  
  
With his eyes fluttering open, and then shutting again, Jeff yawned. "Is Matt back yet?"  
  
The redhead nodded her head towards the bathroom. "He got back just a little while ago. He's in the shower now."  
  
Jeff opened his eyes more, seemingly waking up. "Does he -- I mean, did he ask about.."  
  
"About what happened last night?" Lita finished his sentence as he trailed off. "Well, not really. He didn't really need to ask."  
  
Jeff looked at her in confusion, and then remembered that both of them were still completely naked, and wrapped in each other's arms. His brother was a smart guy and he would've realised what had happened by himself. Not that it really took a genius to see that something had happened between him and Lita that night...  
  
Jeff smiled as Lita circled her arms around him once more, and rested her head against his chest. He stroked her hair gently, running his fingers through the fiery red strands. He couldn't believe what had happened last night was reality.. and not just a dream. But it was real. It was all real. And with his realisation of that, thoughts rushed into his head.  
  
"Li?"  
  
She looked up at him, and saw that he was looking down at her with something that resembled worry and concern. "Yeah, Jeff?"  
  
"What happens now?" 


	6. Lying

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Reviews make me happy! Keep 'em coming!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Lita placed a finger over her lips, signalling for the other diva to be quiet. "Shhhh!" She hissed, glancing around the hotel lobby. The clerk, who was sitting at the reception counter, looked at both women with a brow raised in curiosity. Thankfully, no other WWE superstars were in the lobby, allowing Lita to turn her attention back to the brunette woman standing beside her.  
  
"Dawn! Please! Can you keep your voice down?"  
  
Dawn Marie stared at her friend with wide eyes as they walked towards the front doors of the hotel, making their way out into the street. They were headed to a nearby cafe` for breakfast before having to leave for the next city.  
  
"I'm sorry Li. But you can't just give me information like that, and expect me to keep calm and quiet!" Dawn said excitedly, breaking into a huge grin.  
  
Continuing on their way out the hotel doors, now onto the busy city street, Lita chewed the bottom of her lip shyly. "I know. It's pretty exciting, isn't it?"  
  
"Pretty exciting?" Dawn chuckled, throwing her arms up in the air. "Sweetheart, it's wonderful news!"  
  
Lita blushed, hooking her arm with her friends as they walked. "Yeah, it is pretty wonderful."  
  
Dawn Marie patted Lita's arm gently. "You know, I have been waiting with baited breath for the day you two finally got together. I'm just glad it's finally happened."  
  
"Really?" Lita turned to look at Dawn, a surprised look etched on her face. "You've been waiting for me and Jeff to get together?"  
  
The brunette diva gave a wave of her hand, and rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, please. I saw the sexual tension that was between the two of you the moment I met you both. And since then, it's only grown more and more. It's about time, I say."  
  
Lita let out a small, embarrassed chuckle as the two women crossed the busy road quickly, still on their way to the cafe`. "So my feelings for Jeff have been that obvious this whole time?"  
  
Dawn nodded quickly. "Uh huh." She paused. "But don't worry, Jeff's have been even more obvious."  
  
"You knew that Jeff felt that way for me!?" Lita asked loudly, staring at her friend with an open mouth. "How long did you know?"  
  
"Well, it was quite obvious, Lita. I can't believe you didn't see it yourself."  
  
"Didn't see it.. I had no idea!" The redhead raked a hand through her hair, sighing in awe. "Everyone always used to say that I was like the sister Jeff never had..."  
  
"They were too stupid to see that what Jeff felt for you was nothing like brotherly love." Dawn laughed, smiling at a young man that walked past them. She returned her attention back to Lita. "But you don't need to worry about that now, right?"  
  
The two women ceased their conversation as they entered the cafe`, a waiter placing them at a table big enough to fit four people, and handing them their menus. Lita and Dawn Marie opened up the menus, and glanced at the breakfast selection.  
  
"Is there anything I can get you ladies while you order? A drink, perhaps?" The waiter asked smoothly, smiling brightly at the women.  
  
"I'll have a cappucino, thanks."   
  
Lita looked up at him, placing her menu down. "Just a small glass of orange juice for me, thanks."  
  
The waiter nodded, and walked towards the kitchen, leaving the two divas to continue their earlier conversation.  
  
"So, as I was saying, you don't need to worry about any of that now, hon. You and Jeff are together! A couple! And might I add the cutest couple that the WWE has ever seen." Dawn Marie said with a slight smirk.  
  
Lita laughed, the blush creeping up to her cheeks once again. "I don't know about that. I think Stacy and Test have the 'cutest couple' award won."  
  
The brunette waggled a finger at her friend. "Don't be too sure of that! Now that they've got you and Jeff to compete with --"  
  
"Who's competing with you and Jeff?"  
  
Lita felt her entire body freeze. Her eyes grew wide at the sound of his voice, and her breaths came quick and fast. Heart pounding hard, stomach rolling, hands shaking. She didn't even need to turn around and see his face. She watched Dawn Marie look up at the man and give him a wide grin.  
  
"Hey Kurt. Come here often?" Dawn greeted with a seductive smile, her head titled slightly to the side as she looked up at Lita's big brother.  
  
"Morning Dawn." Kurt Angle grabbed a chair from an empty table nearby, and placed it next to Lita. "Hey you." He gave her a gentle kiss on the head as he sat down beside her, taking his sunglasses off. Placing them on the table, he looked to Lita. "So, who's competing with you and Jeff?"  
  
"Stacy and Test." Dawn Marie replied nonchalantly, reading over the menu in her hands.  
  
"Oh, really?" Kurt said, surprised. "Did Stacy do something to piss you off again?"  
  
Before Lita could answer back, Dawn spoke again. "Oh, no. We're not talking about a match. We're talking about an award. See, Stacy and Test have pretty much got the award for cutest --"  
  
"-- hair!" Lita broke in desperately, shooting a sharp glance at Dawn Marie. "Stacy and Test have the cutest hair award!" She laughed weakly.  
  
Kurt raised one eyebrow at his sister, and then at the brunette sitting across the table. He then let out a loud chuckle. "Cutest .. hair.. award?"  
  
Noticing the look that Lita was giving her, Dawn Marie nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah! The cutest hair award is something that everybody wants to win!" She flicked her own dark hair over her shoulders. "I've been trying to win it ever since I arrived at the company!"  
  
"Why haven't I heard of this before?" The Olympic Gold Medalist asked, looking to Lita.  
  
"Well, it's.. it's um.. really, it's an award..." She struggled, unable to come up with a decent excuse for why Kurt wouldn't have heard of this 'award' before, especially seeing as he had been with the WWE for far longer than Dawn Marie had.  
  
"It's an award that the divas came up with. They haven't told alot of the fellas, because, well, they're afraid you guys will laugh at them." Dawn shrugged casually.  
  
"I can see why!" Kurt broke into a grin, laughing at both women. "Cutest hair award.."  
  
Lita and Dawn looked at each other for a moment, and then began laughing themselves, until all three of them were laughing outrageously. Angle's laughter slowly died down, but Dawn and Lita kept giggling away.  
  
"So, you and the younger Hardy are going for this award now?"  
  
Immediately, the two women stopped laughing.  
  
"Um, yeah." Lita nodded, smiling nervously. "You know, with my crazy red hair, and Jeff's crazy.. multicoloured hair.. I think we have a real chance!"  
  
Kurt looked over at Dawn Marie, who was nodding and smiling in agreeance. "Can I ask one more question?"  
  
Dawn looked over at Lita, and the back at Kurt. "Sure. Go ahead."  
  
"If you've been trying to win the award.. by yourself.. since you joined the company," Kurt then turned to Lita, "then why do you need to enter with Jeff?"  
  
Both women stuttered, "Um, oh.. well.."  
  
Then Dawn Marie yelled out, "I got it!"  
  
Both Lita and Kurt looked at her strangely. Lita rubbed her forehead. "Um, Dawn, care to explain?"  
  
"I mean - I've been trying to win the award, but I couldn't because the rules state you need a partner." She shrugged once more. "And no one has the type of hair that I'd like to have as a partner, so.."  
  
"There's RULES?" Kurt asked disbelievingly, his hands out turned questioningly.  
  
Lita opened her mouth to reply, but he stopped her. "No, you know what? I don't want to know anymore." Shaking his head, Kurt got out of the chair.  
  
"You're not going to stay and have breakfast with us?" Lita asked her brother, looking up at him.  
  
"Nah. I was only walking past when I spotted you girls in the window." Angle gestured over to the other side of the street. "I'm actually supposed to meet Benoit at this mall over on the other side of the street."  
  
Dawn Marie laughed softly. "You and Chris Benoit are going shopping?"  
  
"For shoes!" Kurt stated defensively.  
  
Lita chuckled. "Kurt, that doesn't sound any better."  
  
"You know, running shoes!" He looked at the two women with an exasperated look on his face. "You two are hopeless."  
  
Dawn and Lita smiled at each other. "We know."  
  
"Alright, I'm going. I'll catch you girls at the airport later on, okay?" Kurt walked towards the cafe` doors, waving behind him.  
  
"C ya Kurt!" Dawn Marie waved back, watching as he exited the cafe` and headed down the street.  
  
Once he was out of sight, Lita groaned loudly and threw her head in her hands. "That was so close.."  
  
"What was with all of that, Li?" Dawn Marie rubbed her head. "Now my head hurts from trying to think of all those excuses so quickly."  
  
Lita looked back up at her friend. "I'm sorry, Dawn. But Kurt can't know about me and Jeff."  
  
"Can't know.. why not?"  
  
"You know how much my brother hates the Hardys? If he found out that Jeff and I were together.." The redheaded diva shook her head. "He doesn't even like me being with friends with them. Can you imagine if he found out?"  
  
The waiter walked back over to their table, placing a glass of orange juice in front of Lita, and a cappucino in a mug in front of Dawn Marie. "You ladies ready to order now?"  
  
"I'm not very hungry anymore.." Lita moaned, and Dawn turned to the waiter, smiling politely.  
  
"Just give us a few more minutes, thanks." After the waiter had walked away, Dawn's smile slipped from her face. "So what? You and Jeff are just going to sneak around in secrecy?"  
  
Lita's looked down, breathing in softly. She looked back up to her friend, her hazel eyes searching.   
  
"You got a better idea?" 


	7. Hiding and Discovering

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita's big brother has issues with the guy she's in love with, and someone's out to cause trouble.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Reviews, oh, sweet reviews! How I love them so! I would like it very much if you'd send me some..  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoa, this is one hella long chapter! There was a lot that I needed to have said, so.. hence the longness of this one. Hope you enjoy it, and I'm trying to speed up my writing, so hopefully there will be more on the way sooner rather than later.  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita watched him carefully as he prepared himself for his upcoming match. She sat in the corner of the locker room, her legs crossed and her chin resting on her hand. Her red hair fell forward, framing her pretty face.  
  
She loved watching him. There was something about the way he moved that seemed to hypnotise her with every glance that she took. He was standing in front of the mirror now, applying some last minute touches to the body paint that graced his left arm. She watched him attentively, loving the look of utter concentration that adorned his face as he slowly painted small swirls of purple paint on his forearm. A small smile tugged at her lips as he finished the painting, and studied his work in the mirror. Lita could watch him all day, every day, and never get sick of him.  
  
"Hello?" A hand waved up and down in front of her face. "Earth to Red! Are you there, Red?"  
  
Snapping out of her trance, Lita looked up to the person the hand belonged to. "Oh, sorry Christian. What were you saying?"  
  
"I was talking about Victoria. Did you hear what I said? You were off in your own little world for a while there."  
  
Lita nodded, smiling softly. "Sorry, I guess I was off with the faeries. I was just thinking about something." The redhead focused her attention on the blonde man that stood in front of her. "But yes, I heard you. You were telling me that Victoria barged into you and Jericho's locker room without any warning, and almost caught you with your pants down."  
  
"Can you believe it?! I mean, we all know she's psycho but - geez! And you want to know why she came in like that?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She was trying to find her belt." Christian paused, letting that comment hang in the air, then threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "HER BELT, LITA!! That girl is totally insane!"  
  
Lita laughed quietly at Christian's sudden outburst. Victoria wasn't really one of the blonde canadian's favourite people - although Victoria wasn't really on anyone's 'favourite people' list. The raven haired diva really was quite disturbed, she was completely obsessed with the Women's Championship. This went beyond drive and determination - it had gotten scary. Ever since she lost the title to Jazz a few weeks earlier, Victoria had been on a massive 'search' for her belt. Convinced that she had merely misplaced it, she had bothered practically everyone in the company trying to find the belt.  
  
"I swear, we sure have had our fair share of loonies here in the WWE. Saturn was a total nutjob - what, with that mop and everything." Christian ran a hand through his newly cut short blonde hair. "Now we have Victoria, who is absolutely crazy..."  
  
Lita looked over Christian's shoulder as he spoke, watching Jeff once more. This time though, she found that he was watching her through the mirror as well. Catching his gaze, Lita smiled. Jeff smirked slightly as Christian kept talking, and Jeff kept Lita's gaze through the mirror. A mischevious grin slid onto his lips, just before he puckered his lips together and made kissy faces at her through the mirror.  
  
Blushing, Lita kept her eyes on Jeff as he continued to smile at her. She was aware that Christian was still speaking to her, but she simply couldn't concentrate while Jeff was in the room with her. He was almost like a magnet - drawing her attention to him by some unknown, unseen force.  
  
Boy, did she have it bad.  
  
"... and that's why I think Vince should be doing personality tests before he allows anyone to work here. Before the contracts are signed, before anything is finalised.. get a psychological profile done!" Christian said, concluding his little speech. "What do you reckon?"  
  
"Oh, um, I agree with you, Christian. It would help filter out all the the crazies!" Lita looked back up at Christian, tearing her eyes away from Jeff's figure. "But then again, that sure would make working here kind of dull!"  
  
The canadian laughed, smiling brightly. "True, true. But I think that you're just worried that if Vince actually did do those tests, everyone would realise just how crazy you really are!"  
  
Lita gasped, giving a mock glare at Christian as she picked up a shoe lying nearby, and launched it at him. He ducked quickly, letting the shoe go flying across the locker room. He straightened back up again, and pointed his finger at the redheaded diva. "Oh, you're going to get it. Just you wait missy, just you wait."  
  
Giggling, the woman smirked at Christian. "Looking forward to it."  
  
Giving her one last smile, Christian turned to Jeff, still standing on the opposite side of the room. "You've been awful quite over there, Hardy. Anything wrong?"  
  
Jeff shook his head slowly. "No, just getting ready. Psyching myself up..."  
  
"Psyching yourself up? Jeff...You're fighting Lance Storm."  
  
"Exactly." Jeff nodded. "If it were just him and me, one on one, I wouldn't be so worried. But you know what Storm's like! He'll have something up his sleeve... or down his tights, more likely."  
  
Christian gestured to Lita, who was still sitting in the corner of the room. "Hey, you'll have Red out there with you. She'll protect you." He gave her a wink before turning towards the door. "I'm off to my match now."  
  
"Good luck! Kick some butt!" Lita cheered as Christian walked out of the locker room door. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Lita rose up from where she sat and practically ran over to where Jeff stood. He immediately took her in his arms, and held onto her tightly.  
  
The stood there for a while, just holding each other. Until finally, they broke away. Still holding each other's hands, Lita looked up at Jeff adoringly, giving him a cheeky half smile. "I thought he'd never leave."  
  
Jeff tucked a strand of red hair that hung in Lita's face behind her ear. "I still don't see why we can't tell our friends about us. It's hell for me, trying to pretend like nothings changed. Like we're still 'just friends'."  
  
Lita sighed softly, her arms banded around Jeff's back. "Matt knows, and Dawn Marie knows. Already, that's too many people." She paused, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Jeff, sweetie, if my brother found out about us... I don't know what he'd do."  
  
"Lita, Kurt's going to have to be told about us sooner or later. It's already driving me insane, not being able to hold you when I want to. Having to make sure we're alone before I can kiss you. Not being able to tell everyone in the world how much I care about you."  
  
Her smile growing bigger with each word that Jeff spoke, Lita stood on her tip-toes and kissed Jeff softly on his forehead. Smoothing his hair down, she whispered to him. "You are absolutely adorable."  
  
Jeff grinned, his green eyes sparkling as he looked at her. "Thank you. You know, you're not too bad yourself."  
  
Biting her lip, Lita grabbed Jeff's hands and pulled him over to the couch. Once there, Lita fell back onto it, and pulled Jeff toward her so that he was lying ontop of her. She looked up at him, and licked her lips. Slowly, she leaned forward and caught his lips in hers, her hand playing with his bright green hair.  
  
Jeff let out a small, muffled groan as Lita tore away from his lips, and descended on his right ear - chewing the bottom gently. "Li.. we.. um.. oh God..." Jeff trailed off, unable to complete his sentence. With a charge of desire, Jeff cupped Lita's face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth and dancing with her own.  
  
A knock at the door caused Jeff to jump off from the couch, wiping his mouth quickly and straightening his clothes. "Who is it?" He called out, glancing over at Lita, who was still on the couch, her face flushed.  
  
"It's me!"  
  
Jeff smirked, instantly recognising the voice. He walked over to the door, not yet opening it. "And would that 'me' happen to be the WWE's resident superhero?" Jeff swung the door open, and Shane Helms grinned at both him and Lita.  
  
"Hey guys. I just dropped by to let you know that your match is almost up. Christian just pinned Test --"  
  
The redhead lying on the couch let out a loud hoot, punching her hand in the air. "Yes! Go Christian!" Both Jeff and The Hurricane looked over at her, their eyebrows raised. She shrugged at them. "I'm happy he won, okay?"  
  
Shane laughed, and Jeff turned back to him. "The Rock is just going to do a backstage promo, and then it's on to you and Lance!"  
  
"Thanks Helms. I probably should go out there now, shouldn't I?" Jeff looked back at Lita, then turned to Shane once more. "I've just got a few things I need to do, then we'll be ready. We'll be out there soon."  
  
The Hurricane nodded, waving goodbye to Lita. "C ya both out there! Good luck!"  
  
Jeff shut the door behind him, and walked over to the couch Lita sat at. "I guess we better get out there, hey?"  
  
Lita nodded. "But before I go out there with you, I want to change my top." She said, gesturing to the pink boob tube that was wrapped around her chest.  
  
"Oh. I happen to like that top." Jeff said, a cheeky smile on his face.  
  
"And so do I. But unfortunately, I can't pull of a moonsault - or anything for that matter - without flashing everyone."  
  
Jeff didn't say a word, his face dead pan. Then, he raised one eyebrow slowly. "And what makes you think that's a bad thing?"  
  
Getting up from the couch, Lita walked over to Jeff and whacked him on the chest. "Enough, you naughty thing!" Smiling, she ushered Jeff out the door. "You go wait for me out there. I'll be ready soon."  
  
Jeff stood in the doorway, his back to the hallway of the arena, still facing Lita inside the locker room. "Don't be too long. It normally takes you an hour just to get dress --"  
  
Lita cut him off, kissing his lips forcefully. Pulling away, she shoved him out into the hallway, and began to close the door. "I'll see you in five minutes." Watching as she closed the door shut, Jeff smiled to himself and began to walk down the hallway, towards the stage entrance.  
  
***  
  
Oh, no way.  
  
She must've been seeing things. No way had she actually seen what she had just thought she'd seen. No. Way.  
  
Trish Stratus stomped her foot as she rounded the arena hallway corner. She had been making her way towards the diva's locker room, when she saw Jeff Hardy leaving his locker room. She had stopped, ready to talk to him once he was out of the room. It was then that she saw a pair of hands - female hands - pushing against his chest. Whoever it was, he kept talking to them. Trish watched as suddenly, with a flash of red, Lita leaned forward and kissed Jeff.  
  
Lita. Kissed Jeff. And the Hardy brother didn't look too surprised about it afterwards, which led Trish to believe that the two were together. And from what Dawn Marie had told her a few weeks back, that information wasn't all that surprising. Interesting, but not surprising.  
  
Watching Jeff walk away, down the corridor, Trish felt her brain ticking over with this new information. She continued on her way towards the diva's dressing room, the entire time thinking about what she knew regarding Jeff Hardy and Lita.  
  
She knew that they both had feelings together - and now that was more than obvious. She was pretty sure that they were an official couple. Opening the door to the locker room, Trish suddenly remembered a conversation she had with Lita's brother not long ago. Kurt Angle didn't like Jeff Hardy - at all. She wondered what his reaction to the news was like.  
  
Sitting down in front of the mirror, Trish picked up a brush and began running it through her golden locks. She frowned slightly as she tried to put everything together. Jeff didn't look beat up, which suggested to her two things. Either Angle didn't know about his sister's new boyfriend, or he wasn't too upset about it. And the little blonde diva would put all of her money of the former. She was sure that Kurt simply didn't know about Jeff and Lita being together yet.  
  
Tying her hair up in a casual pony-tail, Trish wondered if Kurt's lack of knowledge about his little sister and Jeff was on purpose. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Lita knew very well that Kurt didn't like either of the Hardys. And as much as Trish hated to admit it, Lita was a smart woman. She wouldn't go do something as stupid as telling Kurt that her and Jeff were together, when she knew that he wouldn't appreciate that news at all.  
  
Trish's frown slid off her pretty face, and a small smirk appeared on her lips. She could have alot of fun with this. 


	8. Blackmailing

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Reviews, oh, sweet reviews! How I love them so! I would like it very much if you'd send me some..  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Jeff and Lita stopped at the top of the ramp, Jeff's music blaring loudly, as the fans cheered and screamed in delight. They smiled as they looked down at Lance Storm who was laid out flat in the middle of the ring, thanks to Jeff's final Swanton Bomb. The two gave the Hardy's Gun signal one more time before stepping through the curtain and entering the back.  
  
Breathing heavily from exertion, Jeff slung his arm around Lita's shoulder, pulling her closer towards him. She smiled brightly as she wrapped her arm around his waist, the two stumbling back to the locker room while attached to each other.  
  
They passed Dawn Marie in the corridor, and she patted Lita on the shoulder. "Good work out there, hun. Loved that moonsault." Lita gave the brunette diva a warm smile as a reply, and kept walking forwards with Jeff still wrapped around her.  
  
Finally they reached Jeff's locker room, and broke free from each other as they entered. Jeff walked into the room first, turning around to face Lita as she entered. His smile was bright and wide, and Lita could see the happiness dancing in his eyes. "Li, that was amazing out there!" He fell back onto the couch with a thud, his arms outstretched and beckoning her to join him. "I don't think I've had such a great match in a long time."  
  
The redhead bit her lip as she made her way over to the couch, snuggling up besides Jeff and resting her head on his chest. "It was a great match. Lance played fair, for once, and he did a good job. But you were just too good for him."  
  
Jeff stroked Lita's hair gently, and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Only because I had you out there with me. If it wasn't for that hurricanrana you gave him, I wouldn't have been able to pull off the swanton."  
  
She shrugged slightly, looking up to Jeff and smirking modestly. "I didn't help that much..."  
  
"You always help me. Whether you're out there with me, or back here watching me on a monitor. Knowing that you're here, supporting me in whatever way, always helps me." Jeff hugged Lita tightly, happy for this moment they were allowed to spend together. As a couple.   
  
It had been hard for him out there. Once the match was over, he had to use all of his willpower to stop himself from wrapping Lita up in a hug and kissing her. Instead, he had given her a high - 5, and that was all. God, how he wanted to just be able to show everyone how much he loved her...  
  
"So, what are the plans for tonight?" Lita asked, looking up at Jeff. "I think a bit of celebrating is in order, after all."  
  
"You're such a party animal. Has anyone ever told you that before?"  
  
She smiled at him playfully. "Once or twice."  
  
Almost involuntarily, Jeff placed a dozen kisses on her face. Gently, softly kissing her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, her lips... This woman was amazing, and he loved her. And for some strange reason that he had yet to understand, she loved him as well. She was with him, and he couldn't hide his happiness. "What do you say to a night out dancing?" He offered.  
  
Lita's eyes lit up, and she sat up straight, smiling desperately at Jeff. "Oh, yes please! Please Jeff, take me dancing! Please!"  
  
"You're adorable." He paused, taking in her beauty as she looked at him. "Alright, dancing it is."  
  
She squealed happily, and cupped his face in her hands and planted a sweet kiss on his lips before standing up. "I'm just going to have a shower and get changed, okay? You clean yourself up too while I'm gone, and then we can go and dance the night away!" Lita exited the locker room, grabbing her gym bag and swinging her hips suggestively.  
  
The redheaded diva walked down the corridor happily, humming away to herself as she made her way towards the diva's dressing room, where she could have a shower. Tonight had consisted of a great win, and was now going to continue with dancing! Could her night get any better? She kept humming as she opened the door to the diva's dressing room, and made her way towards the showers. The room was empty, the other divas obviously out doing something else at the time.  
  
She set her gym bag down on a bench, pulling out her towel. Smiling slightly to herself, she began to wriggle out of her baggy pants, when a voice spoke from behind her. "Great match Lita."  
  
Lita ceased undressing, and pulled her pants back up to sit on her hips. She turned around to face the voice that addressed her. "Thanks Trish." Lita continued to watch as Trish made her way closer to her, a huge smile plastered onto her face. Why was Trish congratulating her? And why was she smiling at her? It looked - disturbing.  
  
"That moonsault you gave to Storm was really excellent. One of the best I've seen you do. And Jeff's swanton was absolutely --"  
  
"Trish, I'm sorry to sound rude but I'm really in a bit of rush. So if we could cut the small talk... what do you want?"  
  
The fake smile immediately slipped off Trish's face at Lita's words, and it was replaced by a small frown forming on the blonde diva's pretty face. "Are you and Jeff together?"  
  
Lita hesitated, taken aback by Trish's straight-out question. Her pulse quickened, and her heart beat loud and fast in her chest at the notion that her and Jeff had been found out. The idea that people could have seen them or suspected something. Good Lord, if Trish Stratus suspected, what did her brother think?  
  
Slowly, Lita found her words. "What? Trish, I don't know what you're talking about. You know that me and Jeff are best friends. Nothing more. The whole company knows that."  
  
"Oh, don't bullshit me, Red." Trish spat, pointing viciously at Lita, the fake smiles and compliments completely gone now. "I saw you with Jeff! Just before your match, in his locker room. I saw you kiss him with my own two eyes!! So don't try and deny it."  
  
Lita felt her stomach drop, and her heart pounded so hard she thought it would explode. No, she tried to calm herself down, this wasn't going to be a problem. Trish wasn't one of her closest friends, but surely the woman had some sense of compassion within her? If Lita tried to explain why her and Jeff had been keeping their relationship a secret, surely Trish would understand? Surely she would agree not say anything?  
  
The redhead flipped her hair over her shoulders, and took in a deep breath. "Okay. I won't deny it. Jeff and I are together. We have been for about two weeks now."  
  
Trish frowned deeper, spite lining her features. "Why are you guys sneaking around? Why all the secrecy?" The blonde canadian knew very well that Lita and Jeff were keeping their relationship a secret due to Kurt Angle, but she wanted to hear Lita admit it. Wanted to hear her say it for herself.  
  
"Because we have to." Lita sat down on the bench beside her, suddenly feeling morose and tired. "If Kurt ever found out..." She looked up at Trish, hope glimmering in her eyes. "Trish, you have to promise me you won't say anything to Kurt. Please. He can't know."  
  
Slowly, a smirk crept on to Trish's face. She scratched her head casually, and glanced back over at the other diva sitting on the couch. "I promise I won't say anything to Kurt."  
  
Lita's let out a breath, and felt her pulse rate slow down. "Oh, thank God. Thank you Trish. I'm sorry to put you in this position but --"  
  
"There is one condition though, Lita."  
  
Lita paused, a brow arching at the blonde's comment. She heard something in Trish's voice that didn't make her feel very safe, or comfortable. Something that made her think that she didn't want to hear what she was about to say next. "What's that?"  
  
Trish stood in front of Lita, her hands on her hips and her calculating eyes focused on the redhead. The smirk that played on her lips grew larger as she spoke. "I won't say anything to Kurt, as long as you leave Jeff." 


	9. Scheming

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. ^_^  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon does, and I'm very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Please, please, please! Reviews are welcomed with open arms by me, and I would really like to see more! Come on people, let me know what you think. I love hearing from you. So let me know!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
"I can't believe you're actually saying this."  
  
Jeff raked a hand through his newly dyed purple hair, and let a harsh sigh escape his lips. He stood in front of Lita; her head bowed and her shoulders slumped. He shook his head firmly as he looked up at her from the floor, his eyes disbelieving. "I don't understand why you're saying this."  
  
Biting the inside of her cheek fiercely to keep herself from crying, Lita lifted her head to meet Jeff's glare. She steadied herself before speaking, knowing that she needed to sound and look convincing as she spoke to the youngest Hardy brother. If he had a trace of doubt about what she was saying, it wouldn't work. And she was relying on it to work. It had to - if she wanted to keep Jeff safe.  
  
"Understand and believe it, Jeff." The redheaded diva shrugged slightly, taking on a casual appearance. "I don't think this can work out. The pressure of us having to sneak around and hide just to be together, the fact that we can't tell any of our friends about us in fear that it will somehow make it's way to Kurt... I don't want to do this anymore."  
  
"So you're giving up?" Jeff's frown deepened as he continued to stare at the woman in front of him. "It's too hard to be with me, so you're just giving up?"  
  
Lita nodded slowly, hoping that Jeff wouldn't notice how erratic her breaths had become. She was trying so hard to stand strong and tall in front of him, but she could feel her tough resolve slipping away with each word that he said.  
  
Rubbing at his temple, Jeff's gaze fell to the floor as he processed what was happening in his mind. His brain whirled, trying to think of anything to say to Lita that would make her change her mind. "Why don't we just tell everyone about us? Why don't we stop screwing around with all this secrecy bullshit and just come out and tell everyone."  
  
"You know we can't. If Kurt knew about our relationship, he'd make our lives hell. He'd hurt you, and he'd make it impossible for me to see you. At all." Lita swallowed down the burning sensation that rose to her throat. "It's better for everyone if we just break it off, Jeff."  
  
Jeff took a step toward his girlfriend, and felt his heart plummet in his chest as she reacted by taking a step back, leaving the distance between them intact. Pushing the pain of his heart breaking aside, Jeff narrowed his eyes. "I refuse to accept it."  
  
"You can't refuse --"  
  
"I can, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I don't know what's come over you, Lita, but I know you can't possibly really want this. You can't possibly want to end what we have just because it's 'too hard' to keep it a secret. That's bullshit and I don't accept it."  
  
Lita felt the tears well up in her eyes, simply unable to keep them down any longer. Her vision blurred with the moisture that clung to her eyelashes as she listened to Jeff speak. God, no. He can't do this. She had to end it. She couldn't let him do this...  
  
Lowering his voice, Jeff stepped forward once more. This time, Lita did not move away. "You know as well as I do that we are meant to be together. We have this amazingly unique and strong bond between us that won't be broken simply due to it being too hard to keep." His gaze softening, Jeff reached out and ran his hand down Lita's arm slowly. "I love you Lita, and I know you love me. I don't know what you're thinking, but I am not going to give up on us that easily."  
  
The redhead was suddenly aware that a tear had fallen from her eyes, and now made it's way down her cheek, leaving a shiny trail as it traced her cheek bone. She gasped sharply, taking in a deep breath of air. Jeff put his arms around the shaking woman and held her tightly, as she instinctively nestled her head in his chest. She let her tears fall, finding comfort in Jeff's embrace and the mere smell of him being near her.  
  
Jeff smoothed her hair against her head, whispering in her ear. "It's alright, hon. It's alright." He cupped her face gently, looking her straight in the eyes. He searched her hazel orbs, taking in the droplets that clung to her lashes as she looked at him. "Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded, pressing her lips together tightly. "I'm fine." She looked at him uncertainly, now worried about what he would think of her. "I'm sorry about that. I just... I don't know why..."  
  
"Shhh." A gentle smile crept onto Jeff's face, and he tucked Lita's hair behind her ears. "It's okay. I understand that sometimes it kinda seems too much. The pressure, the secrecy, everything. But sweetie, that's why I'm here. If you ever get that feeling again - like the walls are closing in on you - come to me and we'll talk about it. We can get through anything as long as we're together."  
  
Lita gave a tight smile, and Jeff planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I have to go talk to Shane about our tag match tonight, okay? I'll be back soon." Jeff made his way to the door, smiling quickly at Lita before stepping into the arena corridor and closing the wooden door behind him.  
  
Collapsing onto the couch behind her, Lita shut her eyes strictly, trying to keep the rising wave of emotions inside of her from erupting. She was torn between being extremely happy and being insanely upset. Jeff had said some of the sweetest things to her; and she now knew just how dedicated he was to their relationship and this made her overwhelmed with happiness. Then she remembered the reason why she had said all of that to Jeff in the first place, and realised that she had failed to do what she was supposed to. And that made her feel like hell.  
  
Damn that manipulative she-devil Trish Stratus for putting her in this position to begin with. Damn her to hell.  
  
As if on cue, the locker room door opened and the petite blonde diva stamped into the room, immediately turning to Lita, and placed her hands on her hips. One eyebrow raised, she looked down at Lita, an unreadable smirk sitting on her lips.  
  
Lita glanced up at Trish, not particularly wanting to talk to the blonde canadian at the moment. "Yes?"  
  
"I saw Jeff leave so I thought I'd come in and see how it went." Trish studied her manicured nails carefully, not even paying attention to the redhead at her feet. "He didn't look very upset about you breaking it off with him." She focused on Lita once again, a self-satisfied glow surrounding her.  
  
"That's because I didn't break up with him."  
  
Trish's smirk suddenly turned into a vicious scowl, and the blonde narrowed her eyes at Lita, her brow furrowing as she did so. "Why not?" Then as quickly as it appeared, the frown was gone, replaced with the same smirk. "Just remember what I said Lita. Kurt has no idea about you and Jeff at the moment. And I'm doing quite well at keeping it a secret. But if you don't leave Jeff soon, well, I don't know how much longer I can lie to Kurt."  
  
The redheaded diva glared fiercely at Trish, growing sick at the condescending tone in her voice as she talked to her. Lita could tell by her voice that Trish thought that she was in control of the entire situation, and could ruin everything for them all. And the thing that made her sick was that it was true.  
  
"I tried. I really tried. But he won't give me up." Lita gave a slight smile involuntarily as she thought about Jeff and his reaction. "He loves me too much, and he knows I love him too. Sorry Trish, but your plan won't work."  
  
"Yes, it will."  
  
"I just told you, it won't!" Lita stood from the couch, a fire burning inside of her as she stood in front of Trish. "You can't take Jeff away from me. No matter what you get me to say to him, he won't care. He'll fight to keep this relationship alive. He'll fight to keep me!"  
  
A small frown marred Trish's pretty features, until they smoothed out into a smile. "You know what Lita? You're right. No matter what you say to Jeff, he'll fight to keep you. He won't let anything you say stop him from loving you."  
  
Lita stared at Trish incredibly. Had she been wrong? Did this woman actually have some kind of sense left in her? Was she actually going to forget about this ridiculous plan to split her and Jeff apart? She waited anxiously for Trish to speak again.  
  
"If Jeff won't accept it when you tell him you need to break up, maybe he'll just have to accept it when he sees that you really mean it."  
  
"What?"  
  
A smug look crossed onto the blonde diva's features, and she nodded to herself. Lita focused on her, a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach at Trish's words. "Trish, what do you mean? What do you mean when he 'sees'?"  
  
Trish merely gave the redhead a smirk. "I have a brilliant idea. And Lita, you have to remember that you need to do this. For Jeff's sake. For your sake. Even for your brother's sake. Everyone's relying on you. You need to do what I tell you to, and you need to do it well."  
  
Watching as Trish's smirk grew wider with each passing second, Lita felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn't like the look that was appearing on Trish's face, and wasn't sure that she wanted to know what she had planned. 


	10. Protecting

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'm going to bump it up to PG-15. Just because I felt like it.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. Also some possible sexual references abound.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing. Trish, Kurt, Christian and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Still not Vince McMahon. Still owning nothing. Still very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Oh, very extrenely welcomed. I mean, welcome as in it's my life source! Come on people, help keep me alive! Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Let me know!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita stared lifelessly at the images playing across the television screen in front of her. Her hazel eyes had taken on a glassy appearance as she sat still and unmoving on the hard bench in the locker room. The match playing on the screen was important - Kurt going up against Brock Lesnar. She knew that she should have been paying attention to what was happening. She knew that she should be giving her older brother the support he deserved, especially for this match. But she simply couldn't bring herself to care. Not as long as she knew what would be happening later on tonight.  
  
So the redhead continued to stare at the screen, trying to force herself to pay attention, all the while her mind whirling with mixed emotions and jumbled thoughts. She had been this way ever since speaking with Trish Stratus a few days ago. That scheming she-devil had her heart set on tearing Jeff away from Lita - and this 'plan' of hers simply proved that she wasn't concerned with how she got her way... even sinking to the low depths she had planned.  
  
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lita registered that the bell had sounded, and Kurt's music began to blast throughout the arena. This jolted her out of her thoughts as she realised not only had Kurt won the match - but he would be expecting her to be waiting at the curtain for him. Letting out a heavy breath, Lita stood from the bench and made her way to the curtain to congratulate her brother.  
  
As she walked through the arena hallway towards the stage, the diva scanned the area quickly. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was run into Jeff. It would just make things even harder than they already were. Seeing him before she had to ... seeing him now would come close to breaking her will power, and she feared that if that happened, she wouldn't be able to go through with any of it. And she knew that simply couldn't happen. Lita had to do this tonight. To keep Kurt happy and to keep Jeff safe - at any cost.  
  
She reached the curtain just in time to see Kurt walk through the stage, into the back area where he was praised and congratulated on his win over Brock by a few other super stars. The Rock shook his hand as he passed by, Bradshaw patted him on the back, and she even noticed Stephanie McMahon give the Olympic Hero a quick hug. Lita felt her nerves melt away temporarily as she caught the lingering touch and gentle look that passed between the two, and couldn't help but smirk inwardly at the sight. She knew it was never quite over between her brother and Steph - though neither would admit it out loud. She watched as they talked quietly, and waited for him to finish, leaning on a wall patiently. It wasn't long before he made his way over to her, a wide smile on his face.  
  
"So, how'd your big brother do?"  
  
Lita wiped a drop of sweat that was trickling down his cheek away, hesitating slightly. How'd he do? She'd hardly even noticed anything about the match... all she knew was that he had won. She smiled up at him. "You did great, Kurt. It's just too bad the match wasn't for the title."  
  
Kurt nodded, his breaths slightly laboured from exertion. "Yeah. But don't you worry, I'll have my chance come SummerSlam. Then Lesnar will really get what's coming to him, and I'll walk away the Undisputed Champion." He slung his arm around his sister's shoulders, and they began to walk back to his locker room.  
  
The redheaded diva found it hard to mirror Kurt's enthusiasm, even though she was extremely happy for him, and proud of him too. Every time she found herself getting lost in the elation, or enjoying his smile - she'd remember her talk with Trish, and she'd be flooded with ill feelings once again.  
  
The pair approached Kurt's locker room, being stopped several times by other athlete's wanting to tell the man exactly how well he had performed, and how they were looking forward to seeing him match up with Lesnar once again at SummerSlam, this time for the title. Lita and Kurt entered the room, the latter breathing hard and favouring his right leg, but still wearing a beaming smile. His little sister immediately made her way to the couch and flung herself onto it, letting out a sigh as she collapsed onto it.  
  
Kurt sat down on the bench across from Lita, and began untying his boots. He glanced up at the redhead across the room from him, who had her eyes closed, her brow furrowing every so slightly, and her jaw clenched. Reaching for his duffle bag and grabbing a pair of running shoes from inside, he called her name. "Li?" Her eyes opened quickly, and met his gaze. "Is anything wrong?"  
  
Sitting up slowly, Lita shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong." She gave a half hearted smile. "I'm very proud of you, Kurt."  
  
Smiling back, the blue eyed man made his way over to the couch and sat beside Lita. "I'm glad to hear that." He tucked a strand of red hair behind his sister's ear, and hugged her against his shoulder. "But honey, I can tell when something's bothering you. Always been able to. So don't try and hide it from me."  
  
"Kurt, really it's no --"  
  
Angle's eyes suddenly darkened. "Those Hardy's haven't done anything to upset you, have they?"  
  
Lita looked up at him, shaking her head emphatically. "No, not at all." She swallowed hard, frowning thinly as she felt her stomach drop at the sight of the anger and pure hatred in Kurt's eyes. "You know they would never do anything to hurt me. Matt and Jeff are very good to me."  
  
"I swear, I will kill them if they do anything to you." Kurt cupped her face in his hands, planting a gentle kiss on Lita's forehead. "I promise you, I will. If they hurt you, if they upset you, if they do anything that goes against your will..."  
  
"They haven't done anything wrong. And I'm fine." She patted him arm, assuring him of her words. "Just a little tired, that's all. I promise."  
  
Then there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Kurt called, standing up from the couch and making his way over to his bag once more, pulling out a bottle of water. The door opened, and Jeff stood in the doorway, peering cautiously at the Gold Medalist. "Uh, sorry to interrupt you Kurt, but I was just wondering if you knew where Lita was?"  
  
Glowering dangerously at the youngest Hardy brother, Kurt nodded his head in Lita's direction before taking a gulp of water from the bottle. He then glanced over at Lita, his expression tense. "I'm going to have a shower. I'll be back soon." Tossing his towel over his shoulder, Kurt left the room, being sure to glare at Jeff menacingly before exiting.  
  
Once the door closed, Jeff made his way over to Lita, joining her on the couch and taking her hands in his. "If looks could kill, Kurt would have me as a dead man right about now." She gave him a sad smile, and he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against her own. He then enveloped her in his arms, her head leaning on his chest. Jeff stroked her hair softly, neither of them speaking for a while. Then he looked down at her. "You okay? You seem a bit quiet."  
  
Breathing in, Lita closed her eyes quickly, trying to gather herself and find the strength to lie again. She hated this. Lying to her brother, lying to Jeff... and this was only the beginning of the despicable things she had to do tonight. "I'm fine Jeff. Just a little tired."  
  
Jeff gave her hand a squeeze. "As long as that's it. I don't want to leave you by yourself if you're not feeling well, or you're upset by something. I could always post pone going out with the guys tonight and just stay in your hotel room with you."  
  
Loving the feel of his body against hers, his touch on her skin, Lita almost gave in. She almost said 'yes', and almost wanted Jeff to just stay in with her. But that would mean failing the plan, and allowing Trish Stratus to go to Kurt Angle and tell him about her relationship with Jeff. And that simply couldn't happen. "No, I'm fine. It's good if you go out with Matt, Jericho and the others. You need some time with the boys, and it'd probably do me some good to have an early night into bed. You go."  
  
Kissing her once more, and sending her a soft smile, Jeff stood from where he sat. "Okay. Well, we're going to get going now." He gave a chuckle. "Christian wants to get moving right away. But I promise not to be too long. I don't really want to have a late night either."  
  
"Some party animal you are."  
  
Jeff smiled at her, making his way to the door. "Some of us party animals have gorgeous women to come home to, you know. I won't be gone too late. And I still have that keycard you gave me, so don't worry about staying up. I'll just let myself in. Bye babe."  
  
She sent him a smile and a wave. "Have fun. I'll see you later on tonight."  
  
Before closing the door, Jeff blew her a kiss, then shut the door behind him. Lita's smile fell from her face, and she raked a hand through her hair. Goddamn. Why did that man have to make things harder than they already were? Being so sweet and so freaking adorable...  
  
Gathering her things from the locker room, Lita swung her bag over her shoulder, and made her way out to the parking lot, and to her rental car. She started it and drove it to the hotel almost in a daze. This was it. She was actually doing this. She couldn't believe it. She felt sick, yet at the same time knew this was what it was going to take to keep Jeff safe, and her brother happy. Parking in the hotel carpark, Lita made her way into the hotel and up to her hotel room without much thought, going on what seemed to be purely instinct.  
  
Lita sorted through her pocket, pulling out her keycard and opening her room door. She let her bag fall to the floor, and collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. She took in some deep breaths, controlling her breathing and wishing she could control her frantic, racing heartbeat as easily. She glanced at her wristwatch. 11: 21. Noting the time, Lita found herself wishing that as well as controlling her body, she could control the powers of time. Was it really only ten minutes until he was supposed to get here? Was it really only ten minutes until it was the beginning of the end of her relationship with Jeff? Did she really have to go through with this?  
  
Before she began to panic, she reminded herself that this WAS necessary. This needed to happen. She needed to go through with it. Lita knew there was no way around it. Then there was a knock on her door. Her heart still racing, her breathing quickened as she stole a glance at her wristwatch as she got up from the bed. It was only 11:23! He was early! Damnitt... she thought she had a few more minutes to calm herself down and prepare for this but it didn't look like it.  
  
The redhead made her way to the door, and opened it slowly. He greeted her, smiling broadly with a bunch of roses in his hands. "Hello Lita. These, my dear, are for you." She took the roses from him, and invited him inside, closing the door behind him. She placed the flowers on the table beside the bed, and sat back down on the edge of the mattress. She looked at him. "You're early."  
  
"Trish said I should get here a little earlier, you know, in case you tried to get out of it or anything." The tall blonde man sat beside her, the smile still fixed firmly onto his face. He reached up carefully, brushing the fiery red hair away from Lita's neck, exposing the delicate skin. "So Lita. Are you ready to do this?"  
  
She kept her gaze forward, not wanting to look him in the eye. She clenched her fists tightly, and steadied her breaths. She had to do this. She knew she had to. She had to be ready. Slowly, Lita turned to him, her hazel eyes fixing on his. "Yes Test. I'm ready." 


	11. Deceiving

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'm going to bump it up to PG-15. Just because I felt like it.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. Also some sexual references abound.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing. Trish, Kurt, Christian and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Still not Vince McMahon. Still owning nothing. Still very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Always welcome. Please let me know how I did. I appreciate any feedback at all!   
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Lita stood in the cold hotel bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall over the sink. Her hazel eyes were dull and clouded, her red hair was falling freely, curtaining her pale face. As she studied herself in the mirror, Lita felt hot tears spring to her eyes.  
  
She did not want to do this.  
  
"Oh Lita... sweet thang, I'm waiting for ya!"  
  
The sound of Test's booming voice carried through the bathroom door, and Lita felt her stomach roll inside of her. She wiped at her tears with her palms, breathing in deeply and trying to calm herself. "I'll be there soon!", she called back to him.  
  
Pushing her hair behind her ears, Lita wiped away the last of her tears before turning on the cold water. Cupping her hands, she splashed the water onto her face. She grabbed the towel on the rack beside her and patted her face dry, then placed the towel back where it belonged. She took one last glance at herself in the mirror, recognising how miserable she looked, before opening the bathroom door.  
  
The redheaded diva paused in the bathroom doorway, her gaze falling on Test. The tall blonde man was lying on the hotel bed, above the covers, wearing only a pair of dark blue boxer shorts. His arms were folded behind his head, and a smug smirk was playing on his lips. Lita watched as he leered at her from underneath his eyelashes, looking her up and down appreciatively.  
  
"You look good enough to eat, sugar lips."  
  
Stepping towards the bed, Lita crossed her arms over her chest. She was dressed in only a white, lacy bra and matching panties. Ducking her head, she exhaled sharply. "In case you forgot, Test, or Trish didn't even tell you... nothing actually has to happen here." Lita hesitantly climbed into the bed beside him. "It just has to look like something is happening."  
  
Test rolled over onto his side, facing Lita with a grin on his face. "Well, what better way to make it look real than to actually do the real thing?" He chuckled softly, tracing small circles on Lita's shoulder with his fingers.  
  
"Can you just shut up, please?" Closing her eyes tightly, Lita couldn't keep the aggravation and disgust out of her voice.  
  
Shrugging, Test moved again so that he was lying on his back once more. "Hey, I don't have to say a word, if you don't want me to..."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"... All I have to do is this."  
  
Suddenly, Test was ontop of Lita, his hands travelling over her body and his lips pressed firmly against her own. She threw her hands against his bare chest, pushing him away as much as she could. She managed to pull away from the kiss, and frowned as she looked up at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get off me!"  
  
The canadian rolled his eyes as he moved off Lita, back onto his side of the bed. "I was just trying to get this party started."  
  
Wiping her lips, Lita glared at the man beside her. "Maybe you didn't hear me before. This party won't ever get started, okay? You're here for one reason, and for one reason only - to make it look like I'm doing something Jeff would never forgive me for. Did you hear that? To make it LOOK like. Get that through your thick skull already!"  
  
After Lita's outburst, a silence fell upon the room. Only the shuffling of sheets was heard between the two before Test spoke up again. "You think Hardy will actually leave you once he sees us here?"  
  
Lita kept her eyes focused intently on the ceiling as she nodded. "I think he'll leave me, and hate me, and never talk to me again." She closed her eyes as she swallowed the tears that she felt rising within her. "I think Trish thought of the perfect plan to make Jeff despise me."  
  
"Lita, I -"  
  
"Test, I really don't feel like talking about it." She cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact with the tall man. "Can we please just get ready and all set up... I'm not sure what time Jeff will be back so I'd really just like to get this over and done with...."  
  
Smirking once again, Test rose an eyebrow at the redhead. "Hey, if you're that eager to see me naked, all you had to do was say so."  
  
"Shut up." She quickly glanced over, looking pointedly at his boxer shorts. "Besides, once you get under the covers you'll look naked enough. You don't need to take those off."  
  
"Spoil sport."  
  
"And I swear to God, if you so much as TRY to steal a little look-see once I've taken my bra off... I'll rip your eyes out of your sockets."  
  
Test chuckled softly, pulling the bed covers over his body. "Don't be so uptight, Lita. There's no need to get your panties in a knot." From the corner of his eye, he could see Lita moving beside him, and then climbing underneath the covers as well.  
  
She let out a deep sigh. "I'm just going to go to sleep now." She looked over at Test. "Wake me up if you hear Jeff coming in. I might just be making it harder for myself, but I want to be awake when he gets here."  
  
Nodding slightly, Test shifted over closer towards Lita, moving closer and closer until she could feel his bare legs touching hers.   
  
"What are -"  
  
"Jeff's a smart guy. You know that, and I know that." Test furrowed his brow ever so slightly as he ran his fingers through Lita's hair that lay fanned out on the pillow. "Do you really think he'll buy anything happened between us if we're lying ten miles apart from each other?"  
  
Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Lita sighed once more. "You're right... okay. Whatever. I'd just really like to go to sleep."  
  
She closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep with Test lying beside her.  
  
***  
  
Lita moaned involuntarily as she felt Jeff's hot, moist lips on her neck, his tongue flicking against her delicate skin. She felt his hands gripping her hips tightly, his own hardness pressing against her and making her burn for him.  
  
Then she felt his hands travel over his body, caressing her stomach before thrillingly dancing over her bare skin to find the swell of her breasts. Lita arched her back, pressing into him as much as she could.   
  
"Jeff..." She whimpered softly, and opened her eyes lazily. Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open as she was immediatly jolted awake.  
  
"Hey baby, you can call me whatever the hell you want." Test licked at her neck, before locking eyes with her. "I'm enjoying myself way too much to give a damn."  
  
Sucking in a sharp breath of air, Lita tried to roll out from underneath the man. It was a worthless try. Test had carefully pinned her legs under his own, and was holding her hips down firmly. She tried pushing him away, only to find the blonde canadian snaking an arm around her, and pushing their bodies even closer together.   
  
He leant down, his lips centimetres from her ear. "I should let you know, the more you struggle, the more it just makes me want you." He blew a breath of warm air into her ear, causing Lita to shiver against her own will.  
  
"Test, please, just get off me." Her voice was tired, and dejected.  
  
He smirked as he ran his hands down the sides of her body, trailing his fingers along the soft skin. "Oh, but you were enjoying it so much before. I don't think you really want me to stop."  
  
"I do. I want you to stop. Just please get o-"  
  
Before she could finish, Test caught her lips with his own, cupping her face securely with his hands. He ran his tongue against her lips, the kiss hard and strong. Lita felt as though her lips were being bruised by the force of his kiss.  
  
It was then that she heard it. And she knew Test had heard it too.  
  
The sound of the hotel room door opening.  
  
Test quickly broke the kiss, and turned his head towards the door, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.  
  
"Hey Hardy." 


	12. Heartbreaking

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'm going to bump it up to PG-15. Just because I felt like it.  
  
CONTENT: Heavy language, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. Also some sexual references abound.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing. Trish, Kurt, Christian and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Still not Vince McMahon. Still owning nothing. Still very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Always welcome. Please, feel free to send me lots and lots of praise!  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
Eyes wide and scared, her breaths ragged, Lita watched as Jeff's heart broke right in front of her. She watched as his face crumbled and his shoulders sagged and he stopped breathing. She watched as he opened his mouth to say something, but only a choked sob escaped his lips. She watched, still laying on the bed underneath Test's body, as she destroyed Jeff Hardy.  
  
Test gave a melodramatic sigh, brushing away a stray strand of hair from Lita's face gently before rolling off from on top of her, and sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked directly at the pained Hardy, who's eyes were still fixed on the redheaded woman. "I'm sorry Jeff. I never meant for you to find out about Lita and I this way."  
  
Slowly, Jeff tore his gaze away from Lita. He set his glare on the tall canadian. Tears brimming in his eyes, he ground his teeth together harshly and swallowed hard before speaking. "Get out, Test." His voice at a heavy whisper, laced with thick emotion. "Get out."  
  
Standing from the bed, Test smirked to himself as he stepped across the room to retrieve his clothes. He pulled his jeans on, and then made his way towards the door, carrying his other items of clothing in his arms. He paused as he stood beside Jeff, and he turned his head towards the smaller man slightly. "I am sor-"  
  
"Just. Go." A tear slipped down his cheek as he set his jaw, trying to keep his lip from quivering. "Please."  
  
And then Test was gone, the sound of the door shutting behind him sharply filling the air in the room.  
  
Lita was sitting up in bed, clutching the bed sheets to her naked chest. Strands of fiery, unruly hair hung in her face as she watched Jeff intently, a grim frown marring her face. She wanted to run to Jeff's side, wipe away the tears in his eyes and tell him that it wasn't real. That she would never touch another man besides him. She wanted to hold him, and have him hold her, until all the badness went away and only they were left standing together.  
  
Instead, she stayed in the bed, silent. She knew she could not comfort him, could not tell him the truth, otherwise this would have all been for nothing. It was tearing her apart, watching him in front of her now, yet she knew this was what had to happen. This was the result she needed. She needed Jeff to hate her. She needed him to leave her alone. And it was working. She could tell just by looking into his piercing green eyes, that he didn't even want to look at her anymore.  
  
"H-h-how..." He sucked in a breath, unable to complete his sentence. He dropped his head, squeezing his eyes shut, and then suddenly his gaze was upon her again, his frown intensified and more tears falling from his eyes. "How... c-could you have se... how could you s-sleep - how could you do this?"  
  
She didn't reply. She wasn't sure she could speak without breaking down into a blubbering mess. So she stayed silent, pressing her lips together firmly in a vain attempt to keep her composure. Jeff stepped closer to her, and she felt a painful jolt run through her. It was as if his pain was so strong, that it was jumping from him straight into her heart. Or maybe that was simply her own pain, heightened by the look he was giving her.  
  
A tiny whimper fell past his lips, and he brought the back of his palm to his face, wiping away the wet tears from his cheeks. "Why would you do... I-I don't understand? ... why?"  
  
Biting forcefully on the inside of her cheek, feeling the rush of blood flow from the wound into her hot mouth, Lita spoke. "I didn't mean for you to find out."  
  
Jeff's eyes widened, his mouth open in shocked silence at Lita's admission. She didn't give an excuse, or try to explain anything. Her statement was cold and so.. not Lita. He felt more tears prick harshly at his eyes. "How long?"  
  
Feeling as though she was going to throw up, Lita answered, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "A month, at least. Maybe more."  
  
A heavy breath rushed out of Jeff's lungs as his knees buckled, and he ducked his head, feeling the tears starting to come more freely now. He wiped ferociously at his eyes, growing angrier and angrier with each tear that he shed.   
  
"I couldn't stop it, Jeff. Test gave me what I needed."  
  
His head snapped back up, eyes trained on the woman before him who had just spoken. His eyes now red and swollen, he focused on her, his frown brutal. He could barely find the voice to speak back. "And what was that?"  
  
She swallowed, raising her head slightly, trying to force herself to feel strong and defiant. "A decent lay."  
  
His stomach lurched at the chill in her voice. He felt dizzy as he heard her words. How could Lita, HIS Lita, be saying this? How could it be possible? A suppressed sob left his lips, clutching at his breath. "Y-you cheated on me, betrayed me, destroyed our relationship - our FRIENDSHIP..." He paused, roughly raking a hand through his hair. "... you ruined everything we had, all for sex?"  
  
A second passed. "Yes."  
  
"I don't believe you." He mumbled hoarsely. "That's not who you are. I know you, Lita! Now tell me the truth!"  
  
"That is the truth, Jeff."  
  
"No! It's not true!" He shook his head fiercely. "I KNOW you!"  
  
Hoping to God she wouldn't cry, Lita drew in a deep breath. "Maybe, then, I'm just not who you thought I was."  
  
"Yes you are... y-you're exactly who I think you are! I know you Lita, I know you! And what you're saying is not who you are... it's not the truth..."  
  
"Actually, it's the most truth I've said to you in a long time." Lita felt her voice catch, and tried to clear her throat quickly. No show of emotion could be apparent, otherwise Jeff would see right through her in a second. "I'm being me for the first time in a very long while. You're seeing and hearing the real Lita now."  
  
"No."  
  
"Haven't you ever wondered why I never actually said, 'I love you', out loud? It's because I never did love you." She felt as though her insides were on fire.  
  
Jeff growled through the tears that traced down his skin. "I don't believe you... I don't..."  
  
Her voice actually breaking now, Lita closed her eyes in frustration, hurt and sadness. "God, you are such a fucking stubborn fool, Jeff Hardy! I DON'T LOVE YOU! How much more clearer do I have to make it before you get it through your thick skull?!"  
  
Flinching visibly from her outburst, Jeff took a step back. He sucked in some shallow breaths, as if he found it hard to breathe. His chest was rising and falling quickly, and he placed a hand over his heart. He kept his gaze away from Lita, unable to look at her. "That's clear enough."  
  
And before Lita could say anything else, he stepped out of the door, closing it gently behind him. Alone in her hotel room, Lita exhaled, unknowing that she had even been holding her breath. And with the air from her lungs, also came the tears. Hot, salty, guilty, self loathing tears. The redheaded diva's sobs echoed through the empty hotel room as she laid down, exhausted, and cried herself to sleep.  
  
***  
  
A loud, relentless banging woke Lita from her restless sleep. She opened her swollen eyes, glancing at the clock beside her. 4:37 am. Her heart jolted as the thought of Jeff being the one who was banging on her door entered her mind. She didn't know if she could survive another confrontation with him.  
  
The thumping on her door did not pause, did not cease, instead they grew louder, heavier and faster. Quickly wrapping a robe around her naked form, Lita rose to the door and swung it open. She shivered at the sight of the man behind the door.  
  
"Matt."  
  
Storming into her room and slamming the door behind him, Matt Hardy whipped around to face Lita, his finger pointing at her in anger and accusal. "You swore that you would NOT hurt him! You swore to me, Lita! Do you remember that? Do you?"  
  
Shaking, her eyes cast downwards, she nodded. "I remember."  
  
"And yet, my baby brother is in our hotel room at the moment, crying his goddamn eyes out BECAUSE YOU HURT HIM!" The dark haired man glared daggers at Lita. "Can you see why I'm pretty furious with you?"  
  
"Matt, you don't understand... I had to..."  
  
"Oh, so you HAD to fuck around with Test behind Jeff's back? Well then, that's okay! All is freakin' forgiven!" He spat, his voice laced with sarcasm.  
  
Lita frowned, her eyes still on the floor. "It's complicated... I can't tell you why I did what I did, but -"  
  
"No, I don't want to hear your shit! I listened to it once before, and you broke my brother's heart. I told you he was in love with you. I told you to please, be careful with his heart. And you SWORE you would never hurt him." Matt scoffed. "Well, he's pretty damn hurt at the moment. He's hurting from the inside out.. So bad that he just won't stop throwing up. He just keeps retching and retching and retching..."  
  
"I'm so, so... sorry."  
  
"Hell no!! You have absolutely NO right to be sorry!" Matt's eyes blazed as he yelled, his voice gravely and strong. He paused as he saw Lita begin to cry, tears spilling over her eyelids from her hazel orbs. "And you have no right to cry over him, either. You gave up that right when you screwed around behind his back, you selfish, heartless bitch."  
  
The elder Hardy turned, and made his way to the door, but before he left the room, he turned back to Lita. He watched as she tried to control the sobs that racked her body. He shook his head at her. "And you know what the thing that tears me apart inside is?"  
  
Lita looked up at him with tear filled eyes, unsure of whether she wanted to hear what he had to say.  
  
"Even after what you did to him; cheat, lie, abuse him, use his trust... after all of your shit, he still can't bring himself to hate you." Matt gave a unbelieving, slight chuckle. "He even told me to shut the hell up after I called you a self serving, good for nothing slut."  
  
Her mouth wide, her eyes brimming with tears, Lita felt her heart soar at that news. Even after all the horrible things she had just said to him, Jeff still could not say a bad word about her. That thought made her cry even more.  
  
"After all of your shit, he still can't hate you. And you don't deserve that from him." And with that, Matt walked out the door, leaving Lita alone once again. 


	13. Explaining

TITLE: Best Kept Secrets.  
  
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.  
  
EMAIL: penrithpanther03yahoo.com.au  
  
RATING: I'm going to bump it up to PG-15. Just because I felt like it.  
  
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual violence one comes to expect in WWE fics. Also some sexual references abound.  
  
SUMMARY: Lita falls in love with a guy her big brother can't stand, and another cunning diva is out to cause trouble.. Jeff/Lita pairing. Trish, Kurt, and more.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Still not Vince McMahon. Still owning nothing. Still very, very jealous.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Forever welcome. Especially when it's taken me this long to update betweem chapters. Please, let me know you're still here, reading, and that you still like it! Please!

............

As Lita stepped through the arena doors, entering for the RAW show, she had to remind herself to breathe. Adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder, she let out a deep breath as she began walking down one of the many corridors of the arena.  
  
With each step she took, her heart pounded faster and faster in her chest. It had only been five days since that night at the hotel... and she couldn't control her nerves at the thought of being at the same arena as Jeff. The thought of running into him during the night caused her stomach to roll inside of her. But at the same time, she was actually looking forward to her match against Victoria. Lita hoped that it would give her some distraction from everything that was going on. Just let her forget about what happened the other night, about what she had to do to Jeff...  
  
Lita shook her head quickly before she could start thinking about Jeff and what she had done to him that night. She had done enough of that the past few days, just replaying the night over and over in her head. She could think of nothing else. The image of Jeff's face as he walked into the hotel room burned under her eyelids even when she slept, and the sound of his choked sobs rang through her ears constantly.  
  
The guilt and sorrow had consumed her, and she had spent all week alone. After Matt had left her hotel room that night, Lita had hidden herself away from any other human company. Flying home the next day, she locked herself in her house, not speaking to anyone at all. She hadn't spoken to Jeff, Matt, Dawn Marie... not even her brother. Kurt had called her cell phone a few times, wondering where and how she was, but Lita never answered. She couldn't talk to anyone.  
  
She even debated whether or not to even come to RAW this week. At first, she'd decided that it would be easier for everyone involved if she simply stayed at home. And that was exactly what she was prepared to do. But then she had realised that the best thing - not necessarily the easiest, but the best thing - would be to get out of the house, attend RAW, and work her match. At least she would have something other to think about then, and something other to focus her attention on. If she had stayed in that house much longer, she would've gone insane.  
  
If she hadn't already.  
  
Lita turned a corner, spotting the divas dressing room up ahead. She tucked her hair behind her ears before pushing the door open and stepping inside. She entered with her head lowered, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. She looked up, glancing around her quickly, and was met with the regular friendly faces of all the other divas.  
  
She smiled at Molly Holly as she walked past her, towards an empty locker. She noted that in an opposite corner of the room, Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson were chatting away happily, giggling highly every now and then. Lita placed her bag down beside the empty locker and began unpacking it, her eyes trained on her bag. She knew that none of the other girls even knew about her relationship with Jeff... so they couldn't possibly know about what had happened with Test... but she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She couldn't bring herself to look any of them in the eyes.  
  
Not after what she had done.  
  
So caught up in her thoughts, Lita didn't notice Dawn Marie creep up beside her until the brunette spoke up. "Hey Missy! Where the hell have you been all week? I've been trying to call you for days!"  
  
Lita glanced at her friend quickly, and then resumed unpacking her bag. "Sorry Dawn. I've been, um, kind of busy all week."  
  
Smirking, Dawn nodded. "Ah, that's what you call it, huh?" She sat down beside Lita, crossing her long legs. "I tried calling Jeff as well, because I figured that you'd probably be with him anyway. But surprise surprise, I couldn't get a hold of him either."  
  
Curious at the mention of Jeff's name, Lita turned to the other diva. "You didn't talk to him?"  
  
"No. Not at home, and he never answered his cell," Dawn looked over at the redhead with a sly glance and a knowing grin. "You two must have been very busy."  
  
Her stomach back flipping at Dawn's insinuation, Lita looked down quickly. "Not quite," she whispered meekly. She almost didn't want to tell her about the break up... but she knew that Dawn would find out sooner or later. There was no use in avoiding it. She looked up, locking eyes with her friend. "Jeff and I broke up last week."  
  
Dawn's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She quickly reached out to the diva, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh my God, Lita, are you alright? What happened?"  
  
"It was awful. I felt..."  
  
"What did that damn boy do? Oh Lita.. he's insane! Forget about him!" Dawn rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"No, Dawn," Lita stopped her. "Jeff didn't do anything to me. He didn't break up with me." A tense pause. "I broke up with him."  
  
At this new information, Dawn paused. She frowned, obviously confused. She leaned in close to her friend. "Why?"  
  
Lita shook her head. "It's a long story..."  
  
"You loved him so much, though. I don't understand..." The brunette struggled to comprehend what she had been told.  
  
No longer wanting to discuss it, Lita turned back to her bag, and resumed unpacking her ring attire. "I had no choice, Dawn," she swallowed hard. "And there's not much more I want to say about it right now."  
  
Still confused, but understanding that maybe now was not the right time to talk, Dawn Marie nodded. "Sure, sure. We'll talk about it later, maybe. When you're ready, okay? But you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, or lean on -"  
  
"You're my number one gal Dawnie," Lita sent a soft, sincere smile to the brunette.  
  
Dawn returned the smile, and patted Lita on the shoulder once more before leaving the redheaded diva to prepare for her upcoming match.  
  
The redhead took in a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly for a moment. She knew that telling Dawn would be a hard thing to do, but she didn't even imagine how hard it would be for her to simply say the words out loud. She had broken up with Jeff. She had said it out loud, those words had come from her lips. It was real.  
  
Stopping herself before she thought too much about it and made herself upset once again, Lita shook her head, clearing the thoughts away. She needed to focus on her match. That was all that she needed to think about. Not Jeff, not Trish Stratus... nothing. Just her, Victoria, and their match.  
  
Focusing on that, Lita quickly got changed into her ring attire. Wriggling into her shorts and throwing on a sheer, black top over her bra, she ran her fingers through her hair quickly. Then she bent down, tying her boots tightly. Once she was done, she jogged up and down on the spot quickly, rolling her neck side to side.   
  
Okay. She was focused. She was prepared. She was ready to fight, and ready to win.  
  
Lita stepped towards the door of the locker room, running the strategy she had worked out through her head, quickly brushing up on last minute tactics. She rounded the corner, glanced up from her thoughts, and suddenly felt like an arrow had struck her heart.  
  
Across the large arena room, stood Jeff Hardy. He was sitting on the floor, his back up against the wall, his eyes closed. Lita took in his appearance, her heart beating faster and faster as she watched him. His now faded purple hair hung limply in his face, his closed eyes only just visible under the curtain of hair. His jaw was covered in scratchy stubble, unshaved and ungroomed. Lita could see the weariness all over his face. He looked like the living dead.  
  
She stopped, simply staring at him. How easy it would be to walk over there right now, make him open his eyes and tell him how much she still loved him. How easy it would be to fall into his arms, letting him know that she was forever his. It would all be so easy...  
  
"Lita!"  
  
Before she could take a step, Lita heard a voice call out her name. She closed her eyes briefly, cursing at the timing, then she turned to her left. Her eyes were soft as she gazed at the figure approaching her. "Hey Kurt."  
  
The olympic gold medalist furrowed his brow as he approached his little sister. "And where have YOU been all week? I've been trying to call you for the past couple of days. At home, on your cell, I even called Mom cause I figured that maybe you went home for some reason. When she hadn't heard from you either, I began to worry!"  
  
"I'm sorry Kurt... I was at my place, but I just didn't feel like answering many calls," Lita looked up at her brother meekly. "I'm sorry that I worried you."  
  
"Why didn't you answer your calls?"  
  
"I just.. had a few things to deal with. I didn't really want to talk to anyone, that's all," she sighed, knowing that Kurt had now gone into his 'protective' mode. "I promise that everything's okay. I'm not hurt, I'm not upset, I'm fine. I promise."  
  
Kurt reached out, cupping Lita's cheek gently and studying her, his eyes narrowing. After a few seconds, he pulled his hand away, seemingly satisfied with his study. "As long as you're alright."  
  
Lita sent a small smile to Kurt as she rolled her eyes. "You really should stop worrying about me so much. I am a big girl now, you know. Almost thirty and everything!"  
  
Letting out a chuckle, Kurt smiled brightly. "Yes Li, I do know that. But I'm still your big brother. It's my job to worry about you. No matter how old you are. It's a fact of life. Deal with it."  
  
The redheaded diva couldn't help but smile at her brother's words, ducking her head quickly. She always enjoyed the way her and Kurt teased each other and was glad for the times that they got to spend together like this - even if it was just for a few seconds in an arena hall. But this time, she found herself desperately wishing Kurt away. It was like she could feel Jeff. Like he was pulling at her from the corner of the room, pulling her eyes towards him.  
  
She glanced quickly, and saw that he was still sitting up against the wall. Still with his eyes closed. Still looking terrible. Her heart jumped, and she let out a sad breath. She missed him so much...  
  
"I better get back to my locker room," Kurt said, interrupting her thoughts. "I promised Steph that she could run a few storyline ideas by me before she presented them to Vince. She's a little nervous about how he'll react to her ideas."  
  
Lita nodded as he walked away from her, inside wanting to tease him about the way his blue eyes lit up when he said Stephanie's name. But instead, she kept quiet. She'd have to plenty of time to tease her brother about his feelings for the McMahon. Right now, she needed to see Jeff.  
  
Her eyes found his form once more, and she sucked in a deep breath. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, but she knew that she had to say something. She had to see those green eyes looking at her, had to hear that soft southern accent calling her name. It wasn't the smart thing to do, but she had to.  
  
Her heart pounding wildly in her chest, Lita took a step towards the youngest Hardy brother. She tried to control her breathing as she stepped closer. She was still quite far away, but with each step she took she was growing nearer...  
  
A flash of blonde hair caught her eye, and suddenly Lita paused as she watched Trish Stratus strut across the room. She stood, frozen in her place as she realised that Trish was making her way over to the corner of the room where Jeff sat. She couldn't think of anything to do except stand there, watching.  
  
Lita's stomach dropped as she saw Trish approach Jeff. Bending down slightly, the petite blonde diva tapped the man on the shoulder. Jeff opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Trish.  
  
Lita couldn't hear anything that was being said... she was too far away... but she moved to the side of the room, watching the exchange intently. She wasn't sure why she kept watching - it was more than likely only going to make her hurt even more - but she couldn't tear her eyes away.  
  
Trish smiled sweetly down at Jeff as she spoke, innocently playing with her blonde locks. Lita took in the blonde's appearance, noting the tight jeans and low cut black top that she was wearing. She watched as Trish leant down even more, patting Jeff's arm and batting her eyelashes at him.  
  
Starting to feel sick now, Lita quickly looked away, wondering whether or not she should simply walk away. She couldn't actually stand here and watch Trish seduce Jeff, could she? She couldn't just stand there and watch Jeff walk away with the blonde, knowing that it was because of Trish's schemes that it was happening. Despite her gut feeling, she turned back to the figures across the room, unable to look away for long.  
  
Jeff was talking now, glancing at Trish, and then looking back down as he sat on the floor, unmoving. Trish said something else, smirking at him and chewing on her bottom lip coyly. Then Jeff looked back up at her, said something, and shook his head slowly. Suddenly, Trish straightened up, looking at Jeff with a hardness in her eyes. She spoke once more, and when Jeff shook his head again, she narrowed her eyes at him and whipped around, storming off.  
  
Lita kept her gaze trained on Jeff, watching as he cast his eyes down to the floor in front of him, and raked a hand through his hair. Slowly, he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes once more.  
  
Letting out a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been keeping, the redhead closed her eyes briefly as she felt her heart pound loudly in her chest. Watching Jeff turn Trish away had caused her entire body to quiver with joy... and yet it caused her heart to ache. Matt was right. Jeff didn't hate her. He still loved her. After everything, everything she had put him through in the past week... he still loved her.   
  
She didn't deserve that kind of love.  
  
Lita began to feel her throat constrict, and a wave of sickness sweep over her. But before she could succumb to the tears, a backstage technician wearing a set of head phones tapped the redhead on the shoulder. "Lita? Sorry to disturb you, but your match is on in a few minutes... just after The Rock's promo."  
  
Nodding mutely, Lita tore her gaze away from the Hardy and followed the worker to the curtain. She wiped at her eyes quickly. She had to get past this, and focus on her match. Now was not the time to fall to pieces.  
  
Hearing The Rock's music blare through the speakers in the arena, and the roar of the crowd, Lita approached the stage entrance and took in a few breaths. She could worry about how bad she felt later on tonight, once she got back to the hotel. As for now - she had some diva ass to kick.

............

Trish Stratus stormed through the arena hallway, her hands clenched into tight fists by her side and her pretty face marred by a brutal frown. She let out a tiny growl as she thought about what Jeff Hardy had just said in reply to her, after she asked if he'd like her to keep him company tonight, and perhaps warm him up before his match.  
  
"No thanks Trish. I've got alot of things to deal with at the moment."  
  
And then when she pushed just a little more, thinking that maybe he was playing a little hard-to-get...  
  
"I said no, Trish. You need to learn when to just walk away."  
  
Walk away? She needed to learn when to WALK AWAY? Another growl escaped the blonde vixen's lips. After all of the work she had done to pry that redhead's claws away from him? Not fucking likely! She had worked hard to get Jeff Hardy alone so that she could have him for herself, and have him she would. Whatever it took.  
  
And if charming him into her bed wouldn't work... well, then she'd have to resort to other means.

............

Pacing around his locker room, Kurt Angle ran a hand over his bald head and let out a quick breath. Steph would be here any minute now, and his stomach was in knots. Not that that was anything surprising - he always felt nervous as hell when he spent time with the youngest McMahon. And he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, either.  
  
A knock at the door brought Kurt back to earth, and caused his heart to start beating slightly faster. The effect that woman STILL had on him was incredible... Breathing in deeply, he reached for the door knob and opened the door.  
  
But instead of finding a smiling brunette looking up at him, Kurt was greeted with a very pissed off looking blonde. "Hey Trish. What can I do for you?"  
  
Trish entered the room, inviting herself in. Calming herself down, she turned to the olympic gold medalist, her eyes narrow. "You know Kurt, it's funny how people sometimes feel they need to keep things from other people. I'm not sure why they feel they need to, but instead of coming out with the truth they just blatantly lie and deceive everyone. Even those closest to them."  
  
As Trish rambled on, Kurt casually glanced out the door. No sign of Steph. Damn. He turned to Trish again, and looked at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, but if this isn't important, do you think you could come back later? I'm kind of expecting someone -"  
  
"Oh trust me, Kurt. This is important," Trish said sharply with a sly smirk. "It's so important... your baby sister's safety is at stake."  
  
Catching his attention with those words, Kurt suddenly focused completely on the woman standing in front of him. He stepped closer to her, his eyes widening in panic.  
  
"What is it? Trish, tell me. What's happened to Lita?" His eyes darkened. "Those damn Hardy asses haven't done anything to her, have they?"  
  
Trish smiled. 


End file.
